"Celts" down the Alps. New isotopic data on territorial mobility among the Late Iron Age Cenomani of Verona (NE Italy, 3rd -1st c. BCE)

Laffranchi, Zita; Zingale, Stefania; C. Salazar-García, Domingo; Lösch, Sandra; De La Cruz Córdoba, Manuela; Arenz, Gabriele; Coia, Valentina; Paladin, Alice; Salzani, Luciano; Szidat, Sönke; Tecchiati, Umberto; Amato, Alfonsina; Dori, Irene; Zink, Albert; Milella, Marco (2023). "Celts" down the Alps. New isotopic data on territorial mobility among the Late Iron Age Cenomani of Verona (NE Italy, 3rd -1st c. BCE). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, p. 98. Wiley

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The Late Iron Age (4th -1st centuries BCE) was characterized by frequent movements of people and goods across the Alpine range resulting in the settlement of "Celtic" groups in the Italian peninsula. Explorative stable isotope data of oxygen and carbon of the Cenomani of Seminario Vescovile (SV-Verona, Italy 3rd -1st c. BCE) suggested the presence of few non-local individuals in this community. Here, we build on these preliminary results and expand them by analyzing a larger sample from SV and additional isotopic ratios. Our aim is to clarify the degree of mobility in this group, the potential origin of non-locals, and the correlation between mobility, sex, and funerary treatment. We analyze the ratios of sulfur (δ34S; N=127) and strontium (87Sr/86Sr; N=57) from bone collagen and dental enamel respectively. We establish the local isotopic range based on published soil, plants and water values, as well as on the human and animal variability by using as criterion the median ± 3MAD (three times the median absolute deviation). We check for differences between sexes and funerary features in δ34S and 87Sr/86Sr by means of Mann-Whitney tests.
The highest frequency of non-locals (10/57: 17.5%) is found when considering 87Sr/86Sr, with at least two individuals showing values consistent with an alpine/transalpine origin. No trend characterizes isotopic values based on sex or funerary treatment. Our data allow revising previous estimates about a reduced mobility at SV, while supporting at the same time a link between this population and both alpine and transalpine contexts.

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