Patterns of funerary variability, diet, and developmental stress in a Celtic population from NE Italy (3rd-1st c BC)

Abstract

Little is known about the types of social organization characterizing the pre-Roman Celtic populations of Italy. Here, we explore the funerary variability characterizing the late Iron Age site of Seminario Vescovile (SV: Verona, Italy, 3 rd -1 st c. BC), and test its possible correlation to diet and relative exposure to developmental stressors. Patterns on funerary treatment (N = 125), δ 13 C and δ 15 N (N = 90), and linear enamel hypoplasia (N = 47) from SV are compared, and their possible association with sex and age-at-death further discussed. Results point to the presence at SV of variable funerary customs while at the same time demonstrating a rather homogenous diet and exposure to developmental stressors: funerary treatment is mainly correlated to age-at-death but do not appear to be associated to either isotopic patterns or hypoplasia frequencies. Accordingly, even if some weak social differentiation may have characterized the individuals buried at SV, this was not reflected in markedly differing living conditions. Our study is the first to attempt an exploration of the links between age, sex, funerary variability, and diet in a pre-Roman Celtic community from Italy. While highlighting the potential of a multifaceted approach in bioarcheology, it also points to a series of analytical and theoretical issues relevant when trying to disentangle the cultural and biological dimensions of social differentiation in the past.

Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in thepre‐Romanpopulation of Verona (Italy, third–first centuryBC)

“…According to this hypothesis, Via Carducci 42 would have been a funerary area reserved for individuals of relatively higher social standing (i.e., warriors) (Cavalieri Manasse & Salzani, pers . communication ; Laffranchi et al, 2019). Since the analysis of the material culture from SV and Via Carducci is still in progress, however, the above interpretation needs to be considered exploratory for the moment.…”

“…Bioarchaeological and paleopathological studies on the Celtic populations of Italy have mainly focused on the Boii Gauls, a population occupying the modern Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy (Brasili, 1992, 2008; Brasili & Belcastro, 2003; Brasili, Mariotti, Neretti, & Facchini, 2000; Mariotti, Dutour, Belcastro, Facchini, & Brasili, 2005; Sorrentino et al, 2018). A series of recent studies has, however, expanded the actual knowledge of the lifestyle of the pre‐Roman populations in Italy by investigating a relatively little known group, the Cenomani Gauls, who inhabited the modern Veneto and Lombardy regions during the last centuries BC (Laffranchi, 2015; Laffranchi, Cavalieri Manasse, Salzani, & Milella, 2019; Laffranchi, Delgado Huertas, Jiménez Brobeil, Granados Torres, & Riquelme Cantal, 2016; Laffranchi, Jiménez Brobeil, Delgado Huertas, Granados Torres, & Miranda, 2018; Laffranchi, Martín Flórez, Jiménez Brobeil, & Castellani, 2015). According to Roman sources (e.g., Livius, Ab Urbe Condita , V, 35.1), the Cenomani arrived in Northern Italy (Verona, Brescia and surrounding areas) under the command of Etitovius, and allied with the Romans during the conflicts of the latter against the local populations of the Italian peninsula during the third–second century BC.…”

“…The necropolis of SV was excavated from 2005 to 2010 in Verona (NE Italy), following its discovery during the construction of an underground parking lot. Radiocarbon datings of six human skeletons place its use between the third–first century BC, while typological patterns of grave goods link it to the Cenomani culture during the first phase of Romanization (Laffranchi, 2015; Laffranchi et al, 2015, 2019; Malnati, Salzani, & Cavalieri Manasse, 2004). With a minimum number of individuals of 174, SV stands out not only as one of the largest Cenomani necropolises of Italy with a large number of inhumations (other Cenomani contexts yielded a large number of cremations), but also as one of the biggest and better preserved Celtic necropolises in the entire Italian peninsula.…”

“…Burials include mostly supine inhumations and, less frequently, prone depositions and individuals placed on their side (Figure 1a,b). Patterns of grave goods (mostly represented by pottery, coins, rings, and rarely knives, but no weaponry) reflect a rather homogenous situation, with a lack of significant differences between sexes in the type and amount of grave goods, and the absence of clear vertical differences in burial treatment (Laffranchi et al, 2019). Such apparent uniformity in burial treatment has recently been interpreted as a possible by‐product of the partial excavation of the site.…”

“…Males featured a higher intake of animal protein, whereas the diet of females incorporated more cereals and vegetable proteins (Laffranchi et al, 2016). At the same time, patterns of linear enamel hypoplasia, and funerary variability suggest the presence of a weak social differentiation, a homogenous exposure to developmental stressors during growth (Laffranchi et al, 2019) and a prolonged breastfeeding period (Laffranchi et al, 2018). These studies, therefore, depict a complex scenario: despite males and females of SV apparently being characterized by similar upbringing conditions and social status, they also differed significantly in their relative access to food sources.…”