Life in times of change

Marked by the end of the Roman Empire, migrations of Barbaric groups and the increasing Christianization, the transitional period from late antiquity to the early medieval period during the 5 th and 6th century was central in the formation of the political, cultural and religious landscape of Europe as we know it today. Despite abundant historical and archaeological sources, many central questions about this time period remain open. Human skeletal remains from archaeological sites represent our most direct source of information about life in past human populations. Through scientific analysis, termed bioarchaeology, they can reveal age-at- death, sex, diseases, diet, origin, kinship or physical activity of a person even long after death. This proposed project aims at elucidating the lived experience of communities during the transition from late antiquity to the early medieval period based on the skeletal human remains of two neighbouring cemeteries at the Hemmaberg (143 individuals) and in Globasnitz (422 individuals) in the Austrian part of the Eastern Alps. Grave goods in both cemeteries point towards some cultural differences between the two groups. While the settlement on top of the Hemmaberg appears of local late-antique Roman background, at least a proportion of the burials in the valley at Globasnitz may be identified as members of an Ostrogothic military unit. Historical sources report the re-settlement of parts of this group by their king Theoderic in order to protect the area which then represented the northern border of his territories. The study will combine both traditional bioarchaeological methods for inferring age-at-death, sex and disease as well as modern scientific techniques such as the analysis of aDNA and stable isotopes in order to gain an insight into diet and origin of the people. Factors such quality of living, diet but also the presence of diseases such as the plague or levels of interpersonal violence are key elements of governing the behavior of individuals or groups. Consequently, knowledge about them is central to understanding the dynamics and processes that led to the formation of societies both past and present. This is a setting unique in the archaeological record and therefore represents an ideal case study for investigating not only health and living conditions during the late-antique/ early medieval transition but also the nature of co- existence between two communities of potentially different origin. Embedded within the archaeological and historical context of the site and region, the data gained from this study will therefore allow for drawing a comprehensive picture about live of communities in the Eastern Alps during this important period of European history.

In central Europe, the transition from the Roman Empire to the Early Medieval Period in the 5th and 6th century AD remains an enigmatic period of European history about which little is still known. The FWF-Firnberg project Life in times of change aimed to elucidate this period of cultural, religious and political change through a bioarchaeological investigation of the human skeletal remains from two cemeteries in Southern Austria, Hemmaberg and Globasnitz. Human remains from archaeological excavations represent the most direct source of information about life in the past. Through their scientific analysis, many individual aspects such as age-at-death, biological sex, health and disease, diet, activity, ancestry, mobility and migration can be accessed. In addition, modern analytical techniques like ancient DNA- and stable isotope analysis provide information about diet and geographical origin of the people. Interpreted within their cultural, historical and environmental background, this allows for a detailed reconstruction of the human past. Within the framework of this project it was anticipated to combine these methods in order to elucidate whether the cultural, religious and political transitions of the 5th/6th century had an impact on living conditions and to characterize any potential differences between the two culturally distinctive groups settling on the Hemmaberg and in Globasnitz. Due to the fact that only half of the project could be completed, the goals set out in this project to create a comprehensive picture of live and living conditions in the Eastern Alps during the Roman/Early Medieval transition were only partially met. Nevertheless, a few significant results could be obtained. Through renewed excavations, the extent of the cemetery at the Hemmaberg was finally clarified. New C14-dates on a number of burials from the cemetery suggest that the settlement on the Hemmaberg may have been used longer than previously assumed. Strontium isotope analysis carried out on the selected individuals from the Hemmaberg cemetery further indicates a certain degree of migration to the site. New insights into the religious and cultural significance of the region during the 5th/6th were gained through the multidisciplinary analysis of the skeletal remains of an unknown saint buried in a reliquary in one of the churches on top of the Hemmaberg, revealing strong connections with the Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Italy.