Pre-Roman Italy has been characterized by the presence of many different ethnic groups mainly studied by archaeological approaches. The ethnic differences can be inferred through the analysis of the funerary settings and the material culture. However, the interpretation of these data is not sufficient to clarify some issues which are still matter of debate. Recently, genetic analysis on ancient skeletal remains has proved to be useful to solve historical and proto-historical issues. In this project, we intend to clarify the genetic structure of pre-Roman Italic people focusing our attention on the Picenes, a civilization established during the Iron Age (IX-III cc. BCE), in the so called ¿Picene Area¿ (the current Marche region). Written sources concerning this culture are particularly scarce and the archaeological data often susceptible to different interpretations. During the Iron Age, central Italy experienced the full development of the Picene culture, but in the early years of the III c. BCE Picenes underwent the Roman expansion and the whole region was subjected by Rome. Thanks to agreements already established with the Archaeological Superintendence of the Marche region (ASM), we have collected about 200 Picene ancient samples.
In order to have a complete diachronic picture of the genomic evolution of the ¿Picene area¿, we also acquired Neolithic and Eneolithic (radiocarbon dated) samples from populations living in the same region (before the establishing of the Picene culture) as well as 30 samples from a necropolis of the V c. AD (i.e. after the Roman conquest). In this project, we propose to scan at the level of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) a subset of these collected samples in order to describe the genetic origin and evolution of Picenes through the analysis of the genetic diversity of ancient samples living in the same region in different times: Neolithic, Eneolithic, Iron Age (Picenes) and Roman Period.
The benefits of this research refer to both advancements in genomics (intrinsic value) and in interdisciplinary (extrinsic value).
This research will represent an out breaking improvement in the description and comprehension of the genetic Italian landscape. The expected outcomes of this project will demonstrate that a diachronic "picture" of the genomes of populations lived at different times in a defined region and analysed in a multidisciplinary way should represent a paradigm-shifting approach to reconstruct the genetic history of a population. This project could therefore act as a trailblazer for future investigations of well archeologically characterized collection series that are neglected albeit abundant in Museum and Superintendency of Cultural Heritage dusty deposits. This information will enhance the possibility to estimate the level of genetic similarity between co-residential ancient and modern populations living in the same area, thus checking for genetic continuity between pre-historic, historic and present genomic lines. The comparison with other Italian (ancient and modern) genome data will also allow us to identify the most important demographic phenomena occurred in the Mediterranean area, making possible to consider the populations of our peninsula in a more general and complete landscape. The results of this project will represent a benchmark for other disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, molecular anthropology, linguistics and historiography in the holistic understanding of complex socio-cultural and biological issues. In particular, our results could provide a terrific improvement in the reconstruction of evolutionary, behavioral dynamics and cultural activities of the pre-Roman Italic populations, with a special focus on Picenes, as well as the influences they underwent or which they caused starting from the 8th c. BCE until the Roman phase and beyond. In the long term, the information provided by this diachronic approach of population genome investigation could be fundamental in medical genetics, in particular for association studies. Indeed, a diachronic knowledge of the human populations structure can allow to better choose reference populations for complex diseases, and reduce the risk of spurious associations due to stratification (ie: the presence of distinct human groups in the studied sample). Finally, it worth remind that the study of the genetic history of human populations has always been at the center of the interest of the general public and the media and that it contributes to recognize the cultural diversity which, in agreement with the UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity, is considered a "COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANITY". The dissemination of the results obtained from this project could therefore contribute to increase the evaluation of the Italian research in the international context.