Ricerc@Sapienza

Archaeological data and written sources suggest that the Longobards were a community “on the move”. To support this hypothesis, we analysed strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) to explore mobility patterns of 24 individuals buried in the Longobard graveyard at Povegliano Veronese (Verona; late 6th - early 8th century). This site, located on the Via Postumia, represents a possible arrival destination from Pannonia. Integration of material culture data with results of the biological assessment of the skeletal remains has revealed that 224 individuals were buried in just over a century and a half, covering several generations. For the Sr isotope analyses, soil samples together with human teeth and bone specimens were selected from burials of all periods of use of the cemetery. Soil collected from the burials was used to define the local range at the site, showing strontium values typical of Quaternary alluvial and moraine deposits. Cluster analysis of the tooth data shows three distinct groups corresponding to three different geochemical signatures. Around sixty percent of the individuals have Sr ratios close to that of Povegliano Veronese soil; these constitute the local group. Twenty-nine percent of the individuals have higher Sr ratios than those of Povegliano Veronese soils, which strongly suggests that they originated elsewhere; they are hence defined “allochthons”. Notably, the signatures of the allochthonous groups match values from the Lake Balaton region in Hungary. A small proportion of individuals (one male and one female) show the highest Sr ratios in the set: without being able to pinpoint a possible area of origin, we propose a generally wider European provenance for them. The pattern of mobility revealed by this work appears to confirm the high mobility of the first generation buried at Povegliano, in line with the hypothesis of migration from Pannonia.