Isola Sacra Research Articles

Pubertal timing as an indicator of early life stress in Roman Italy and Roman Gaul

AbstractObjectivesPuberty is a period of rapid growth and development, and the age of onset and duration of puberty may serve as an indicator of developmental stress during childhood. In this study, we compare pubertal timing and tempo in individuals from two Roman Imperial cemetery sites, integrating biological and social factors to better understand pubertal timing differences and their possible connection to Early Life Stress (ELS) and peri‐pubertal stress.Materials and MethodsOsteological methods to estimate pubertal timing were applied to 264 individuals from Lisieux‐Michelet (4th–5th centuries CE; France) and Isola Sacra (1st–4th centuries CE; Italy). Peptide analysis of tooth enamel was used to assess sex in a sub‐sample of pre‐pubertal remains.ResultsIndividuals experienced puberty between 9 and 20 years of age, with females experiencing the acceleration stage earlier than males (p < 0.05, g > 1.2). Between the two sites, no significant differences were noted for age‐at‐death during acceleration, peak height velocity, and deceleration (i.e., the active stages of puberty). Menarche occurred around 15 years of age.DiscussionThe inter‐site comparisons demonstrate similar patterns of pubertal timing and tempo. For males, the pubertal timing aligns with ancient literary descriptions of key puberty milestones. Females entered puberty earlier than literary sources suggest and experienced puberty for an extended period, pointing to possible gendered exposure to ELS and peri‐pubertal stress, influenced by their social status in the Roman Empire. These results demonstrate how pubertal timing and tempo can be used to infer developmental stress in past populations.

Isotopic reconstruction of diet at the Vandalic period (ca. 5th–6th centuries AD) Theodosian Wall cemetery at Carthage, Tunisia

AbstractHere we present the first isotopic investigation of a Vandalic period site (ca. 5th–6th centuries AD), the Theodosian Wall cemetery at Carthage, in modern day Tunis, Tunisia. The focus of this research is to determine the general diet and food consumption patterns of this population during this important and pivotal period of antiquity in North Africa. To this end, collagen stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) are reported for a variety of fauna (n = 20) and humans (n = 70). The human mean±SD results (δ13C = −19.3 ± 0.4‰; δ15N = 10.7 ± 1.4‰) reflect a diet that was based predominantly on C3 terrestrial plants with varying amounts of animal protein from domestic animals such as sheep/goats, cows, and pigs. No statistically significant isotopic differences between males and females, developmental age, or time period of burial were found. The isotopic results from the Theodosian Wall cemetery at Carthage are compared to eight previously published Roman and Early Byzantine sites from the Mediterranean region (Carrer Ample 1, Joan Planells, S'Hort des Llimoners (Spain); Isola Sacra, Velia, Herculaneum (Italy); Ephesus (Turkey); and Leptiminus (Tunisia)). The lack of significant amounts of marine foods in the diets of the Vandal era population at Carthage is in stark contrast to the Roman inhabitants of Leptiminus, where significant consumption of marine‐derived dietary resources was found. As Leptiminus is ~180 km southeast of Carthage, the work presented here shows that large dietary differences existed in North African populations during antiquity.

Family, memory and death in the tomb inscriptions of Mediolanum (I-II AD)

Considering contemporary studies on attitudes towards death and the dead, we will consider, given the documentary, thematic and historical relevance, some epitaphs for females present in the region of Mediolanum, the modern city of Milan. We know that, although we do not have remains of necropolises, as in Isola Sacra, the mortuary evidences present at Civico Museo Archeologico di Milano exhibit a wide range of stone stelae, lastras of funeral monuments with stone garlands, marble funeral altars and urns, highlighting the richness of a region known, at the time of 49 BC, as municipium ciuium romanorum. In this respect, it becomes relevant to analyze, for example, a gorgeous stela, dated between the last years of the second century AD, as a rare testimony of a woman who, undoubtedly, with a strong personality, commissions the funeral monument to her relatives. Thenceforth, we understand that the epitaphs immortalized the deceased as well as stimulated the pietas of their relatives. Thus, in referring to the sepulchral epigraphy, we emphasize the connections and symbology between written and spoken words, for, thus conceived, ritual repetition evoked the memory of the deceased.

Capturing Roman dietary variability in the catastrophic death assemblage at Herculaneum

Here we present a comparative study of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope data from 81 individuals from the catastrophic death assemblage at Herculaneum (79CE) and compare these with the attritional sites of Velia (Salerno, Italy, 1st–2ndcenturyCE) and Isola Sacra (Rome, Italy, 1st–2ndcenturyAD). The instantaneous deposition of the Herculaneum assemblage highlights some interesting differences in our contextual and methodological understanding of stable dietary isotopes, suggesting that isotopic variation between sites may sometimes be a result of greater temporal variability rather than truly comparable differences. Our results suggest that the people of Herculaneum obtained a relatively small proportion (ca. 30%) of their dietary carbon from marine foods; the majority originating from terrestrial foodstuffs of a similar carbon isotopic composition, most likely cereals. Also observed is a generally greater dietary isotopic enrichment in male individuals than females. We infer that males had greater access to fish which may be reflective, in part, of the sociodemographic framework characteristic of Roman society. Finally, we highlight the methodological challenges which may be faced when undertaking comparisons of δ13C and δ15N data between the various age-related strata of a population, particularly due to the slow and variable rate of collagen turnover.

Cranial Variation and Biodistance in Three Imperial Roman Cemeteries

AbstractAncient Roman populations are expected to exhibit considerable biological variation because of extensive trade networks and migration patterns throughout Europe and the circum‐Mediterranean. The purpose of this research is to examine regional biological variation in Italy during imperial Roman times (1st to 3rd centuries ad) using three samples exhibiting distinctive class and economic systems. The individuals buried at Isola Sacra and Velia represent middle‐class tradesmen and merchants from coastal port populations from Central and Southern Italy, respectively, while the individuals from Castel Malnome represent an inland population near Rome of freed slaves and other lower‐class individuals involved in heavy labour associated with salt production. Data were recorded from 25 three‐dimensional cranial coordinate landmarks and analysed using Procrustes superimposition and associated multivariate statistics in MorphoJ.Procrustes analysis of variance statistics were unable to detect any significant group differences for centroid size (p = 0.595), but did detect differences in shape (p = 0.0154), suggesting some variation between the three samples. Canonical variates analyses based on Procrustes distance values suitable for small sample sizes indicated that while Castel Malnome was not significantly different from either of the coastal sites (Isola Sacra, p = 0.2071 and Velia, p = 0.8015), Isola Sacra and Velia were significantly different (p = 0.0119). The similarity of Castel Malnome to the other sites may reflect inherent heterogeneity in the sample, as it represents a group of freed slaves likely originating from various geographic locations. The separation of the two coastal sites is not unexpected, as Velia's location was influenced by an influx of Greek populations in the southern Italian Peninsula. This work supports previous studies using traditional craniometrics and dental metrics showing group similarity across the Italian Peninsula and a separation between more northern and southern groups. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Diet and health in Central-Southern Italy during the Roman Imperial time

<p align="left">The reconstruction of ancient diets by means of stable isotopes analyses acquires a deeper meaning when their results are compared with other odonto-skeletal indicators which are strongly contextualized in the light of historical and archaeological evidence. Nevertheless, the outcomes can be contradictory or, more realistically, they may not completely satisfy our hypotheses on how complex and diverse conditions - such as health status, life style, diet and nutrition - can actually interrelate in the life course of an individual.</p><p align="left">In this study we present and discuss evidences from Isola Sacra and Velia, two Roman Imperial Age coastal towns. The õ<sup>15</sup>N and õ<sup>13</sup>C values are compared with demographic and health status parameters, such as age, sex, stature, auricular exostoses, DISH, <em>cribra orbitalia</em>, enamel defects.</p><p> </p>

Isotopic reconstruction of human diet at the Roman site (1st-4th c. AD) of Carrer Ample 1, Barcelona, Spain

To investigate dietary patterns, collagen stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) were measured from fauna (n=21) and humans (n=23) from a rescue excavation at the Roman site (1st to 4th c. AD) of Carrer Ample 1 in Barcelona, Spain. The adult human results (δ13C=−18.9±0.3‰; δ15N=11.1±0.4‰) indicate a C3 terrestrial diet based on domestic animals such as pigs and sheep/goats, with no differences between the males (δ13C=−18.8±0.4‰; δ15N=11.0±0.4‰) and females (δ13C=−19.0±0.2‰; δ15N=11.1±0.5‰). Two infants show 15N-enriched (14.2‰ and 16.1‰) results characteristic of nursing, and a child of 4–5years of age (δ15N=13.0‰) suggests that breastfeeding could have continued until at least this age for some individuals. The two older children (8–10years old) showed the most 15N-depleted values (8.9‰ and 9.1‰), and this is possible evidence of an adolescent diet that was different compared to the adult population. Comparison of the Carrer Ample 1 results with previous isotopic research from other coastal Roman sites (Leptiminus, Isola Sacra, Velia, Poundbury) shows that a degree of regional variability in diet existed within the Roman Empire.

Macquarie University Gale Scholarship: Memoriae Sacrum: commemorative practice on the Isola Sacra

Macquarie University Gale Scholarship: <i>Memoriae Sacrum</i>: commemorative practice on the Isola Sacra

Suggestions of Sentiment: The Epitaphs of Tomb 87 (Isola Sacra)

AbstractEpigraphic material has traditionally been used to explore a variety of topics ranging from demography to family relationships, but the subject of emotion is not often addressed. In this paper I examine three inscriptions which were discovered in situ in Tomb 87 at the cemetery at Isola Sacra. The paper provides a detailed analysis of these inscriptions within both their immediate context and the broader context of the body of epigraphic material discovered at the cemetery. Here I comment on the function of the inscriptions in relation to their location in the tomb and identify evidence related to the expression of emotion. I focus on the extent to which sentiment could be an element in the commemorative practice of ordinary Romans in the early centuries AD with a particular emphasis on the relationship between freedman and patron.

Stable isotopic evidence for diet at the Imperial Roman coastal site of Velia (1st and 2nd Centuries AD) in Southern Italy

Here we report on a stable isotope palaeodietary study of a Imperial Roman population interred near the port of Velia in Southern Italy during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses were performed on collagen extracted from 117 adult humans as well as a range of fauna to reconstruct individual dietary histories. For the majority of individuals, we found that stable isotope data were consistent with a diet high in cereals, with relatively modest contributions of meat and only minor contributions of marine fish. However, substantial isotopic variation was found within the population, indicating that diets were not uniform. We suggest that a number of individuals, mainly but not exclusively males, had greater access to marine resources, especially high trophic level fish. However, the observed dietary variation did not correlate with burial type, number of grave goods, nor age at death. Also, individuals buried at the necropolis at Velia ate much less fish overall compared with the contemporaneous population from the necropolis of Portus at Isola Sacra, located on the coast close to Rome. Marine and riverine transport and commerce dominated the economy of Portus, and its people were in a position to supplement their own stocks of fish with imported goods in transit to Rome, whereas at Velia marine exploitation existed side-by-side with land-based economic activities.

High-resolution records of past and modern Pb exposure: Laser-ablation ICPMS profiles from tooth enamel

We present compositional and isotopic profiles of past and modern tooth enamel aimed at reconstructing in-vivo Pb exposure at high spatial and time resolution. Focus is on dental enamel because of its sequential mineralization preserving time-series information, and due to its resistance to post-mortem diagenetic alteration. Examples include medieval Pb–Ag miners from SW Germany (Black Forest), the port of ancient Rome (Isola Sacra) for an assessment of the ‘Pb poisoning hypothesis’, and a modern Pb–Zn smelter village in NE NSW. (Sub-)ppb levels of U, LREEs, Y in soil-buried enamel resembling modern enamel are utilized as indicators for the preservation of pristine in-vivo concentrations. This facilitates the identification of in-vivo inter-tooth and particularly intra-tooth Pb concentration variations, which range from below 0.1 up to 150 ppm, and exceed three orders of magnitude even for the same individual. Of particular interest is the identification of sharp Pb peaks recorded in enamel, whose existence may prove more potentially damaging to health than lower average Pb concentrations. Their identification may also improve existing blood-Pb and tooth-Pb calibrations for modern Pb exposure reconstruction. By analyzing several teeth of an individual together with detailed tooth histology (e.g. relative to the neo-natal line), detailed life time trajectories can be established together with—as will be shown—isotopic proxies of mobility (Sr, O).

Dento-alveolar lesions and nutritional habits of a Roman Imperial age population (1st–4th c. AD): Quadrella (Molise, Italy)

The study of teeth is very important in archaeoanthropology for reconstruction of the nutritional habits and living conditions of past populations. We have analysed dental lesions of pathological (caries, abscesses and ante mortem tooth loss) and non-pathological origin (calculus), linear enamel hypoplasia and tooth wear in 67 adults from the Roman Imperial age necropolis (1st-4th c. AD) of Quadrella (Molise, Italy). The high frequency of caries (likely giving rise to the abscesses and ante mortem tooth loss), the abundant calculus and the low frequency of heavy wear are probably due to a limited use of hard fibrous foods and a high consumption of carbohydrates. The high frequency of linear enamel hypoplasia suggests metabolic problems during growth. Comparison of these data with those for two coeval Italian necropoleis near Rome (Latium), Isola Sacra and Lucus Feroniae, indicates poorer living conditions in the Quadrella population.

Osteodental biology of the People of Portus Romae (Necropolis of Isola Sacra, 2nd-3rd cent. AD)

Osteodental biology of the People of Portus Romae (Necropolis of Isola Sacra, 2nd-3rd cent. AD)

Dental size and shape in the Roman imperial age: two examples from the area of Rome.

Different socioeconomic strata of Roman imperial age are represented by two large dental samples recovered from archaeological excavations near Rome, Italy. Teeth are investigated for crown dimensions and morphological variants. One sample, comprising 1,465 permanent teeth, represents the rural town of Lucus Feroniae (LFR) and is mainly composed of slaves and war veterans. The other, comprising 734 teeth from the Isola Sacra necropolis at Portus Romae (NIS), represents the "middle class" segment of an urban population. Both series show small dental dimensions and fit at the lower end of the trend toward dental reduction in Europe from the Upper Paleolithic to the historical times. The urban sample is less variable metrically and less sexually dimorphic than the rural one. The analysis of discrete crown traits shows absence of rare phenotypic variants in both series. The urban sample is also less variable in this last respect, suggesting that the gene pool of this particular "stratum" of the NIS population was more homogeneous than that of LFR. The occurrence of enamel hypoplasia indicates that metabolic stress during growth and development was similar in LFR and NIS. The overall set of available data is evaluated in the light of the history of the two Roman sites and the composition of each population.

Behavior‐induced auditory exostoses in imperial Roman society: Evidence from coeval urban and rural communities near Rome

Presence and features of auditory exostoses were investigated in two cranial samples of Roman imperial age (1st-3rd century A.D.). The skeletal material comes from the necropolises of Portus (Isola Sacra) and Lucus Feroniae (Via Capenate), two towns along the Tevere River, in close relation with the social and economic life of Rome. Deep-rooted differences between the human communities represented by the skeletal samples (83 and 71 individuals, respectively, in this study) are documented both historically and archaeologically. The results show lack of exostoses in the female sex, a negligible incidence among the males of Lucus Feroniae, but a high frequency in the male sample from Isola Sacra (31.3%). Auditory exostoses are commonly recognised as localized hyperplastic growths of predominantly acquired origin. Features of the exostoses found in the male crania from Isola Sacra (particularly in relation to the age at death of the affected individuals) support this view. Furthermore, several clinical and anthropological studies have pointed out close links between the occurrence of auditory exostoses and prolonged cold water exposure, generally due to the practice of aquatic sports, or to working activities involving water contact or diving. In this perspective, the differences observed between the two Roman populations and between the sexes (in Isola Sacra) appear to result from different social habits: the middle class population of Portus habitually used thermal baths, whereas it is probable that thermae were seldom frequented (if at all) by the Lucus Feroniae population represented in the necropolis (mostly composed by slaves or freedmen farm laborers).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)