Ricerche paleogenetiche e isotopiche nel Barbaricum

The latest interdisciplinary research projects have revealed the non-local origin of various communities of Barbarian culture, based on both genetic ancestry and mobility isotopes. The migration of the Longobards in the territory from Pannonia to Italy appears to be confirmed; collective mobility is generally high, often of family groups. Individual female mobility is also frequently seen, probably due to exogamy: women often appear to come from groups with similar cultural levels and social structures, also distant as in the case of the more eastern origin of the skeletons with deformed skulls discovered in Bavaria. Significant correspondence is found with the material culture documented by the archaeological record. An extended family clan of non-local origin constituted the hegemonic pole of the community; local individuals were incorporated in subordinate positions, but in many cases a ‘genetic barrier’ was maintained for a long time. Dietary differences often reflect the elites’ privileged access to resources. Changes in sustenance strategies can also reflect external inputs: the transition from agriculture based on C3 plants to C4 plants, more typical of arid climates, was clearly due to the influence of nomadic steppe peoples such as Huns and Avars.\r\nThis panorama of extremely interesting new data confirms the validity of these methods and a consistent trend, that promises a deeper comprehension of the concept of migration and the value of material culture as an expression of human cultures and population changes.