Verso l’aldilà: le sepolture longobarde

Recent discoveries of burial sites from the Lombard period with Germanic characteristics have significantly increased the quantity and quality of the data available for the study of Lombard burials in the Peninsula. Specialized skills now allow for the study of the social structure of the buried communities as a whole, through the horizontal stratigraphy of the necropolises. This enables us to hypothesize their size, composition, degree of integration with the local population, and evolution of material culture and ritual practices. \r\nThe introduction of interdisciplinary research projects, as well as the use of anthropological, archaeo-genetic, and isotopic analyses on bone remains, has enabled the acquisition of information on genetic ancestry, parental relationships, and biological integration between different groups. This integration of historical and socio-cultural data is important.\r\nMoreover, paying closer attention to excavation data has provided a deeper understanding of organic components like wooden structures and previously overlooked practices such as recurrent reopening of tombs, potentially reflecting a prolonged relationship with the deceased even after burial.