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ANCIENT LIVES IN MOTION ANCIENT LIVES IN MOTION: A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF STABLE ISOTOPES, NONMETRIC TRAITS, AND HUMAN MOBILITY IN AN IMPERIAL ROMAN CONTEXT (1ST-3RD C. CE) by ROBERT JAMES STARK, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Robert James Stark November 2016 ii McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2016) Hamilton, Anthropology TITLE: Ancient Lives in Motion: A Bioarchaeological Examination of Stable Isotopes, Nonmetric Traits and Human Mobility in an Imperial Roman Context (1st-3rd c. CE) AUTHOR: Robert James Stark, B.A. (Wilfrid Laurier University), M.A. (University of Alberta) SUPERVISOR: Tracy Prowse NUMBER OF PAGES: xx, 313 iii Abstract This dissertation examines human mobility and population interactions at the Imperial Roman (ca. 1st–3rd c. CE) sites of Isola Sacra (SCR) at Portus, Velia in the Cilento of Italy, and Rue Jacques Brel Necropolis (JBR) in Saintes, France. Isotopes of oxygen 18 87 86 ( Oc) and strontium ( Sr/ Sr) are used to assess instances of human mobility from the enamel of second molars (M2), providing a gauge of movement after age ~7–8 years. Nonmetric traits are employed in conjunction with isotopic perspectives to examine the nature of biological affinities and phenetic divergence between these three sites. Isotopic results of this study indicate that a significant number of individuals, including females and children, were mobile towards the sites at which they were 18 ultimately interred, with the highest estimates of mobility provided by Oc seeing rates between 25%–38% across the three sites. 87Sr/86Sr results provided lower estimates of 18 mobility ranging from zero cases at Velia to 30% at JBR, while combined Oc and 87Sr/86Sr analyses provided the lowest estimates of mobility ranging from zero cases at Velia to 20% at JBR. Such results suggest that a combined isotope approach may not necessarily increase the degree of mobility discrimination, bringing into question issues 18 87 86 of regional homogeneity and overlap in Oc and Sr/ Sr values for the regions 18 examined. A further examination of Oc variation in M1 vs. M2 vs. M3 for a sub- sample of 20 individuals indicates that childhood mobility was taking place at Portus. Nonmetric trait analysis provides insight to the nature of biological population similarity and divergence. Across the three sites SCR is the most similar to JBR and Velia, while Velia and JBR are the most dissimilar. The nature of these similarities suggests that overall the biological background of the people interred at JBR, SCR, and Velia is similar, but with unique regional phenetic differences indicating distinct biological populations at all three sites. Using these multiple lines of evidence this dissertation emphasizes a significant degree of mobility and population heterogeneity across the Roman landscape. It is evident from the research findings presented here that with the expanding Roman empire mobility and population interaction remained staples of Roman life. iv Acknowledgements There are of course as many individuals and groups of individuals to acknowledge as there are pages in this dissertation. I have tried to remember and acknowledge all of them, and to all those individuals whom I have not acknowledged here in writing, still know that you have made a large impact on how I have developed over my numerous and continuing years as a student. From inception to completion this dissertation would not have been possible without the wonderful mentors I had on my committee. Dr. Henry Schwarcz and Dr. Tristan Carter are both inspiring scholars who in their own different ways helped to shape and challenge me for the better in developing the ideas and findings presented herein. Dr. Tracy Prowse has been and continues to be a fantastic supervisor, incredible mentor, and pillar of support whose unfailing encouragement in all of my endeavours, regardless of their direct applicability, made navigating the doctoral maze a truly enriching experience. The guidance, generosity, good conversation, and enthusiasm of Martin Knyf and Dr. Alan Dickin in their respective isotope labs made diving into a new field for this project a true delight. Their respective efforts to initiate me into the complexities of isotope chemistry while making it all look seamlessly easy and having a great sense of humour throughout made this work a truly positive experience. This research literally would not have been possible without the permissions granted to examine the skeletal collections from Isola Sacra, Velia, and Rue Jacques Brel Necropolis. For this I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Luca Bondiloi of the Museo Pigorini in Rome, who always made the days interesting and kept me thinking, and Dr. Dominique Castex in Bordeaux. If you do not have the bricks to build a house the structure can never be completed. With this sentiment in mind, I owe an enormous acknowledgement to the outstanding and continual assistance of Kim Pickett and Erin Joyce of Mills library. Though but two individuals of a larger library team, Kim and Erin made receiving articles and books not in the McMaster catalogue a seamless process and went well above and beyond on countless occasions to help me in all my zany pursuits. Thank you both. v This research was made all the more realizable through the generous granting of research funding by a number of agencies including, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), the Lemmermann Foundation, the Shelley Saunders Scholarship in Anthropology (McMaster University), McMaster University Department of Anthropology, the Shelley R. Saunders Thesis Research Grant, and the Italian Government Bursary for Foreign and I.R.E Students. I have been in the department of Anthropology for many years now and in my time here I have continued to enjoy the company of those individuals I started the program with and to the many other students I have spent time with arriving in years after. Matthew Vincent Emery was the perfect polymath to wade through the ebb and flow of graduate life with; Geoffrey Sigalet and the 11146-77th, our adventures past, present, and future to come epitomize the open road and the freedom of the hills, DLV; the original quintet of Laura Lockau, Kyle, Meghna, and Kandace who I shared an office with for the first years; Madeleine Mant, whom I met in Edmonton and was delighted to see arrive at McMaster; my wonderful sister Erin and the Weir clan, who always supported and joked with me about becoming a doctor; Jerry, Tamas, Artur, Joanna and all the individuals at TT65 and Ghazali, you are wonderful to work with and have allowed me to broaden my horizons immeasurably; to the many and rotating teammates of Duco, Duco, Duco, especially Mary-Lynn, Daiana, Kari and David, many a fond Tuesday eve has been spent in good company at the Phoenix playing trivia. There have been multifold educators instrumental in my development and desire to continue learning. Of the many there have been two whose guidance and exceptional ability to make the pursuit of knowledge a passion to whom I will forever be grateful: Ms. Mus, who was able to show that education is more than fractions and rote memorization, and Dr. P.M. Michèle Daviau, who opened the world of Near Eastern archaeology to my neophyte eyes at Wilfrid Laurier. I have known Andrew (Rosy) Rees since I was ~13 and am glad that it is the same friendship today as it was then. An always welcome partner on any exploration, a true vi friend thro’n’through. Without comparison, Kandace Lynn Bogaert made and continues to make my entire doctoral era marvellous, with continually high spirits, a razor sharp wit, and a love of the outdoors, you are the best. To all the anthropologists and individuals I have met along the way, you have all made an impression in your own way and I am grateful for the company, making this process a worthwhile and enjoyable endeavour. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. vii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my wonderful parents, Bob and Nancy Stark, and to all those who have gone before me to light the path along the way. viii Quotation Page We do not need any other Tutankhamun’s tomb with all its treasures. We need context. We need understanding. We need knowledge of historical events to tie them together. We don’t know much. Of course we know a lot, but it is context that’s missing, not treasures. -Werner Herzog, On the Birth of Art It is always depressing the first day in a very strange region knowing that weeks are to go by before one returns to the familiar, but after a few days (hold on and wait till they have passed) one has constructed the familiar in the very heart of the strange. -Graham Greene, In Search of a Character: Congo Journal Work keeps my mind occupied and one needs to have projects and objectives to meet–if not life has no meaning. -João Biehl, The Brazilian Response to Aids ix Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... v Dedication ........................................................................................................... viii Quotation Page ....................................................................................................