Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome

K. Salesse; É. Dufour; V. Balter; R.H. Tykot; N. Maaranen; M. Rivollat; A. Kharobi; M.-F. Deguilloux; M.-H. Pemonge; J. Brůžek; D. Castex

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103011

Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome

K. Salesse, É. Dufour, V. Balter, R.H. Tykot, N. Maaranen, M. Rivollat, A. Kharobi, M.-F. Deguilloux, M.-H. Pemonge, J. Brůžek, D. Castex

History, Archeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Rome saw its number of foreign individuals increase considerably as the empire expanded. These foreigners arrived as either free persons or slaves from the newly conquered provinces and near-frontier zones and came to influence the whole life of the city. Yet relatively little is known about their life histories. In this study, we bring direct evidence for the first example of an African-born migrant, with an origin beyond the southern imperial border, discovered in Rome. Based on a multi-tissue sampling strategy including molar teeth and mandibular cortical bone, a multi-analytical approach including isotopic (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, δ³⁴S, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr), dental morphology (geometric morphometrics, nonmetric traits) and ancient DNA (mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome) analyses allows reconstructing the journey and lifeway patterns of the individual US215/Mand1 buried in the mass grave from the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus. The successful isotopic and dental morphology analyses suggest that the individual was probably born in the vicinity of the Nile Valley or within the central Sahara Desert. Results also suggest a diachronic change of residence in the area during their early life. The way US215/Mand1 reached Rome is still hypothetical, although it seems likely that the individual could have undergone forced migration as a slave to the capital.

Original language	English
Article number	103011
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	37
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103011
Publication status	Published - Jun 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme d’Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project “L’église, les vivants, les morts” directed by D. Castex, and the Action Thématique du MNHN “Biomineralization” (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project “Quantifying the Roman diet” funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (“CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium”), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n°30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin.

Funding Information:
The main author wishes to express his gratitude to R. Giuliani, chief inspector of the Vatican's Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra for the material authorization. The main author thanks J. Ughetto-Monfrin (SSMIM, France), C. Wurster (James Cook University, Australia) and J. Wilson (University of South Florida, USA) for their support with the stable isotope analysis. The main author acknowledges C. Snoeck (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and M. Vercauteren (Universit? Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) for useful discussions. Finally, all the authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their time and constructive comments on our manuscript. Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project ?L??glise, les vivants, les morts? directed by D. Castex, and the Action Th?matique du MNHN ?Biomineralization? (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project ?Quantifying the Roman diet? funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (?CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium?), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek ? Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n?30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd

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10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103011

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Salesse, K., Dufour, É., Balter, V., Tykot, R. H., Maaranen, N., Rivollat, M., Kharobi, A., Deguilloux, M-F., Pemonge, M-H., Brůžek, J., & Castex, D. (2021). Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 37, [103011]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103011

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abstract = "Rome saw its number of foreign individuals increase considerably as the empire expanded. These foreigners arrived as either free persons or slaves from the newly conquered provinces and near-frontier zones and came to influence the whole life of the city. Yet relatively little is known about their life histories. In this study, we bring direct evidence for the first example of an African-born migrant, with an origin beyond the southern imperial border, discovered in Rome. Based on a multi-tissue sampling strategy including molar teeth and mandibular cortical bone, a multi-analytical approach including isotopic (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr), dental morphology (geometric morphometrics, nonmetric traits) and ancient DNA (mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome) analyses allows reconstructing the journey and lifeway patterns of the individual US215/Mand1 buried in the mass grave from the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus. The successful isotopic and dental morphology analyses suggest that the individual was probably born in the vicinity of the Nile Valley or within the central Sahara Desert. Results also suggest a diachronic change of residence in the area during their early life. The way US215/Mand1 reached Rome is still hypothetical, although it seems likely that the individual could have undergone forced migration as a slave to the capital.",

author = "K. Salesse and {\'E}. Dufour and V. Balter and R.H. Tykot and N. Maaranen and M. Rivollat and A. Kharobi and M.-F. Deguilloux and M.-H. Pemonge and J. Brů{\v z}ek and D. Castex",

note = "Funding Information: Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l{\textquoteright}Homme d{\textquoteright}Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project “L{\textquoteright}{\'e}glise, les vivants, les morts” directed by D. Castex, and the Action Th{\'e}matique du MNHN “Biomineralization” (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project “Quantifying the Roman diet” funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (“CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium”), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n°30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin. Funding Information: The main author wishes to express his gratitude to R. Giuliani, chief inspector of the Vatican's Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra for the material authorization. The main author thanks J. Ughetto-Monfrin (SSMIM, France), C. Wurster (James Cook University, Australia) and J. Wilson (University of South Florida, USA) for their support with the stable isotope analysis. The main author acknowledges C. Snoeck (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and M. Vercauteren (Universit? Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) for useful discussions. Finally, all the authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their time and constructive comments on our manuscript. Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project ?L??glise, les vivants, les morts? directed by D. Castex, and the Action Th?matique du MNHN ?Biomineralization? (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project ?Quantifying the Roman diet? funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (?CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium?), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek ? Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n?30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2021",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103011",

language = "English",

volume = "37",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports",

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Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome. / Salesse, K.; Dufour, É.; Balter, V.; Tykot, R.H.; Maaranen, N.; Rivollat, M.; Kharobi, A.; Deguilloux, M.-F.; Pemonge, M.-H.; Brůžek, J.; Castex, D.

In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Vol. 37, 103011, 06.2021.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome

AU - Salesse, K.

AU - Dufour, É.

AU - Balter, V.

AU - Tykot, R.H.

AU - Maaranen, N.

AU - Rivollat, M.

AU - Kharobi, A.

AU - Deguilloux, M.-F.

AU - Pemonge, M.-H.

AU - Brůžek, J.

AU - Castex, D.

N1 - Funding Information: Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme d’Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project “L’église, les vivants, les morts” directed by D. Castex, and the Action Thématique du MNHN “Biomineralization” (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project “Quantifying the Roman diet” funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (“CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium”), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n°30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin. Funding Information: The main author wishes to express his gratitude to R. Giuliani, chief inspector of the Vatican's Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra for the material authorization. The main author thanks J. Ughetto-Monfrin (SSMIM, France), C. Wurster (James Cook University, Australia) and J. Wilson (University of South Florida, USA) for their support with the stable isotope analysis. The main author acknowledges C. Snoeck (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and M. Vercauteren (Universit? Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) for useful discussions. Finally, all the authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their time and constructive comments on our manuscript. Financial support for this research was provided by the Aquitaine Region (France) and the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine (Pessac, France) through the project ?L??glise, les vivants, les morts? directed by D. Castex, and the Action Th?matique du MNHN ?Biomineralization? (Paris, France) led by E. Dufour for research support. Postdoctoral fellowships were granted to K. Salesse through the project ?Quantifying the Roman diet? funded by the Shohet Scholars Grant Program of the International Catacomb Society (Boston, USA) directed by R. H. Tykot and K. Salesse, and the CRUMBEL project (?CRemations, Urns and Mobility: ancient population dynamics in BELgium?), funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek ? Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) within the framework of the Excellence of Science (EOS) program (n?30999782) in Belgium, directed by M. Vercauteren, C. Snoeck, D. Tys, G. De Mulder and M. Boudin. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

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N2 - Rome saw its number of foreign individuals increase considerably as the empire expanded. These foreigners arrived as either free persons or slaves from the newly conquered provinces and near-frontier zones and came to influence the whole life of the city. Yet relatively little is known about their life histories. In this study, we bring direct evidence for the first example of an African-born migrant, with an origin beyond the southern imperial border, discovered in Rome. Based on a multi-tissue sampling strategy including molar teeth and mandibular cortical bone, a multi-analytical approach including isotopic (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr), dental morphology (geometric morphometrics, nonmetric traits) and ancient DNA (mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome) analyses allows reconstructing the journey and lifeway patterns of the individual US215/Mand1 buried in the mass grave from the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus. The successful isotopic and dental morphology analyses suggest that the individual was probably born in the vicinity of the Nile Valley or within the central Sahara Desert. Results also suggest a diachronic change of residence in the area during their early life. The way US215/Mand1 reached Rome is still hypothetical, although it seems likely that the individual could have undergone forced migration as a slave to the capital.

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Far from home: A multi-analytical approach revealing the journey of an African-born individual to imperial Rome

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