Ricerc@Sapienza

Etruscans were a population settled in central Italy from IX and I century BCE whose origins are still debated. In our archaeogenetic project, we want to sample four individuals buried in a chamber tomb (VIII-VI century BCE) from an Etruscan necropolis in Monteriggioni (Tuscany), that was used from the Iron Age to the Roman period. We will extract DNA from teeth to obtain the whole genome sequences of the selected individuals. The genetic data will be used to reconstruct the kinship relations among the samples to shed light on the Etruscan society and funeral rites, also considering the historical and archaeological context. We will also compare our Etruscan archaeogenetic data to the published genomes from previous, coeval and following Italian, European and eastern Mediterranean groups to analyze their genetic similarities and differences. This bulk of information will be used to reconstruct a cross-section of the Etruscan world, helping our understanding of this fascinating ancient population.