Papers by Caterina Giostra
in Fortunatus ligo. Festschrift on the occasion of Ante Milošević's 70th birthday, a cura di I. BASIĆ, I. JOSIPOVIĆ, M. JURKOVIC, Split - Zadar - Zagreb - Motovun, 2024
La condizione dei bambini e la considerazione di cui godevano nella società longobarda vengono os... more La condizione dei bambini e la considerazione di cui godevano nella società longobarda vengono osservate attraverso l’analisi sistematica e l’interpretazione di gesti e simboli che li accompagnarono nella morte prematura, degli onori ad essi tributati e dei limiti che la minore età impose anche nel momento del commiato. Si evidenziano alcuni dei fenomeni più significativi rilevati dallo studio dei sepolcreti di fine VI e VII secolo più chiaramente caratterizzati in senso barbarico: si valuta la collocazione delle inumazioni infantili e la loro relazione con le tombe degli adulti, i possibili legami familiari e sociali, il rimando a ruoli non raggiunti, con la conseguente perdita di una risorsa per le famiglie meno abbienti e di una garanzia di stabilità del clan parentale per i gruppi preminenti. Si passa dalla dimensione più intima esercitata dal diritto familiare all’ostentazione del gruppo parentale secondo il linguaggio del rito. Appare evidente l’enfasi che il contesto funerario a volte pone alla perdita dell’infante, nell’ambito della rappresentazione del gruppo familiare.
Furto e ritualità? La riapertura delle sepolture altomedievali, Atti del VI Incontro Internazionale di Archeologia barbarica (Milano, 9 dicembre 2022), a cura di C. GIOSTRA, E. ASPÖCK, D. WINGER, 2024
In Italia, se escludiamo alcuni fenomeni di ambito ecclesiastico come la traslazione di corpi san... more In Italia, se escludiamo alcuni fenomeni di ambito ecclesiastico come la traslazione di corpi santi e la diffusione delle reliquie o l’uso ripetuto delle tombe con struttura e la riesumazione di inumati in chiesa, finora le riflessioni sulla riapertura delle sepolture altomedievali è stata sporadica e incidentale.
In questa sede, si vuole avviare una riflessione sui contesti di cultura longobarda (fine VI-VII secolo). Dopo una valutazione quantitativa circa la riapertura delle tombe in campo aperto, viene presentato il caso studio della necropoli di Povegliano Veronese (Verona), che comprende vari fenomeni: tombe riaperte con parziale o totale asportazione di ossa e manufatti, rideposizioni in particolari settori del cimitero, tombe anche isolate riutilizzate più volte, croci in lamina d’oro non prelevate.
Qualche riscontro di fenomeni analoghi in altri siti simili permetterà di allargare la panoramica circa i temi finora individuati.
In Italy, if we exclude some phenomena in the ecclesiastical sphere such as the translation of holy bodies and the dissemination of relics, or the repeated use of tombs with structure and the exhumation of individuals buried in church, so far the reflections on the reopening of early medieval burials have been sporadic and incidental.
Here, we would like to initiate a reflection on the contexts of Lombard culture (late 6th-7th centuries). After a quantitative evaluation about the reopening of graves in the open field, the case study of the necropolis of Povegliano Veronese (Verona) is presented. It includes various phenomena: reopened graves with partial or total removal of bones and artifacts, redepositions in some particular sectors of the cemetery, even isolated tombs reused several times, and gold foil crosses not taken.
Some evidence of analogous phenomena at other similar sites will allow to broaden the overview on the themes identified so far.
PNAS - Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2024
Elites played a pivotal role in the formation of post-Roman
Europe on both macro-
and
microlevels... more Elites played a pivotal role in the formation of post-Roman
Europe on both macro-
and
microlevels during the Early Medieval period. History and archaeology have long
focused on their description and identification based on written sources or through their
archaeological record. We provide a different perspective on this topic by integrating
paleogenomic, archaeological, and isotopic data to gain insights into the role of one such
elite group in a Langobard period community near Collegno, Italy dated to the 6-8th
centuries CE. Our analysis of 28 newly sequenced genomes together with 24 previously
published ones combined with isotope (Sr, C, N) measurements revealed that this community
was established by and organized around a network of biologically and socially
related individuals likely composed of multiple elite families that over time developed
into a single extended pedigree. The community also included individuals with diverse
genetic ancestries, maintaining its diversity by integrating newcomers and groups in later
stages of its existence. This study highlights how shifts in political power and migration
impacted the formation and development of a small rural community within a key
region of the former Western Roman Empire after its dissolution and the emergence of
a new kingdom. Furthermore, it suggests that Early Medieval elites had the capacity to
incorporate individuals from varied backgrounds and that these elites were the result of
(political) agency rather than belonging to biologically homogeneous groups.
in "Milano. Piazza Duomo prima del Duomo", a cura di S. Lusuardi Siena, Milano, 2023, pp. 297-304.
in "Current Biology", 2023
As the collapse of the Western Roman Empire accelerated during the 4th and 5th centuries, arrivin... more As the collapse of the Western Roman Empire accelerated during the 4th and 5th centuries, arriving ‘‘barbarian’’ groups began to establish new communities in the border provinces of the declining (and eventually former) empire. This was a time of significant cultural and political change throughout not only these border regions but Europe as a whole.1,2 To better understand post-Roman community formation in one of these key frontier zones after the collapse of the Hunnic movement, we generated new paleogenomic data for a set of 38 burials from a time series of three 5th century cemeteries3–5 at Lake Balaton, Hungary.
We utilized a comprehensive sampling approach to characterize these cemeteries along with data from 38 additional burials from a previously published mid-6th century site6 and analyzed them alongside data from over 550 penecontemporaneous individuals.7–19 The range of genetic diversity in all four of these local burial communities is extensive and wider ranging than penecontemporaneous Europeans sequenced to
date. Despite many commonalities in burial customs and demography, we find that there were substantial differences in genetic ancestry between the sites. We detect evidence of northern European gene flow into the Lake Balaton region. Additionally, we observe a statistically significant association between dress artifacts and genetic ancestry among 5th century genetically female burials. Our analysis shows that the formation of early Medieval communities was a multifarious process even at a local level, consisting of genetically heterogeneous groups.
in "Hortus Artium Medievalium", 28, 2022, pp. 222-231.
in "Ricerche sulle comunità del Bergamasco tra tarda Antichità e alto Medioevo (secoli IV-X)", At... more in "Ricerche sulle comunità del Bergamasco tra tarda Antichità e alto Medioevo (secoli IV-X)", Atti del Convegno di studi (Bergamo 2021), a cura di a cura di G.P. Brogiolo, G. Bonetti, M. Rabaglio, Mantova 2022, pp. 79-100.
in Autour du règne de Clovis. Les grands dans l’Europe du haut Moyen Age. Histoire et archéologie... more in Autour du règne de Clovis. Les grands dans l’Europe du haut Moyen Age. Histoire et archéologie, Actes de XXXIIe Journées Internationales d’Archéologie Mérovingienne (Paris, 3-5 novembre 2011), eds. M. KAZANSKI, P. PÉRIN. (AFAM - Association Française d’Archéologie Mérovingienne), 2021, pp. 152-172.
in IX Congresso Nazionale di Archeologia Medievale (Alghero 2021), a cura di M. Milanese, Firenze... more in IX Congresso Nazionale di Archeologia Medievale (Alghero 2021), a cura di M. Milanese, Firenze 2021, pp. 399-404.
in "I Longobardi a nord di Milano. Centri di potere tra Adda e Ticino", Atti del IV Incontro per ... more in "I Longobardi a nord di Milano. Centri di potere tra Adda e Ticino", Atti del IV Incontro per l’Archeologia barbarica (Cairate, 21 settembre 2019), a cura di G.P. BROGIOLO, P.M. DE MARCHI, Mantova 2020, pp. 201-209.
Sul progetto 'Castel Seprio, centro di potere': https://archeologiabarbarica.it/altre-attivita/
Sul volume: https://www.saplibri.it/catalogo/collana/11
in “Scientific Report”, 2020, luglio, pp. 1-12.
in "Journal of Anthropological Sciences", 96, 2018.
voce in Duomo di Monza. Dizionario, a cura di R. Cassanelli, R. Mambretti, G. Pasciuti, Monza, 20... more voce in Duomo di Monza. Dizionario, a cura di R. Cassanelli, R. Mambretti, G. Pasciuti, Monza, 2020, pp. 539-544
con L. Pejrani Baricco, E. Bedini, E. Petiti, in Du Royaume goth au Midi mérovingien, 34e journée... more con L. Pejrani Baricco, E. Bedini, E. Petiti, in Du Royaume goth au Midi mérovingien, 34e journées internationales d’archéologie mérovingienne - Association Française d’Archéologie Mérovingienne (Toulouse, France, 6-8 novembre 2013), eds. E. Boube, A. Corrochano, J. Hernandez, Bordeaux, 2019, pp. 373-379.
con E. Micheletto, E. Bedini, in Du Royaume goth au Midi mérovingien, 34e journées internationale... more con E. Micheletto, E. Bedini, in Du Royaume goth au Midi mérovingien, 34e journées internationales d’archéologie mérovingienne - Association Française d’Archéologie Mérovingienne (Toulouse, France, 6-8 novembre 2013), eds. E. Boube, A. Corrochano, J. Hernandez, Bordeaux, 2019, pp. 367-372.
in "Migrazioni, clan, culture: archeologia, genetica e isotopi stabili", atti del III Incontro per l'Archeologia barbarica (Milano, 18 maggio 2018), a cura di C. GIOSTRA, Mantova 2019 (Archeologia Barbarica, 3).
Genetics and stable isotopes: new approaches to historical understanding
The multidisciplinary r... more Genetics and stable isotopes: new approaches to historical understanding
The multidisciplinary research projects on the Longobards and Barbaricum that are presented in this volume seem to offer significant results in favour of the re-evaluation of migrations, of mobility more generally, and of material culture as a coherent expression of group identity and changes in the population. on one hand this research follows the path of genetics in archaeology, which has gone from palaeogenetics to archaeogenetics, from grand narratives to multifaceted analyses of entire single contexts that are more useful for understanding social processes in detail. on the other hand, the significance of the first new acquisitions is evaluated in historiographical terms, with reference to the criticisms of Post-processualism now underway and the possibility of developing new orientations and paradigms. finally, the author considers concerns in the communication of data relating to migration and material culture dictated by a contemporary polarization between the need for identity, seen in regionalism and especially in right-wing extremism, and the fear of otherness and intercultural confrontation.
I progetti di ricerca interdisciplinari sui Longobardi e sul Barbaricum che vengono presentati nel volume sembrano offrire risultati rilevanti a favore di una rivalutazione delle migrazioni, e più in generale della mobilità, e della cultura materiale quale espressione coerente di identità di gruppo e di cambiamenti nel popolamento. Tali ricerche vengono inquadrate, da un lato, nell’ambito del percorso che la genetica sta compiendo in archeologia: è passata dalla paleogenetica all’archeogenetica, da grandi narrazioni ad analisi integrate di singoli interi contesti, più utili alla comprensione dei processi sociali nel dettaglio. Dall’altro, si valuta il portato delle prime acquisizioni in termini storiografici, con riferimento alle critiche al post-processualismo ormai in corso e alla possibilità di maturare nuovi orientamenti e paradigmi. Infine, si considerano le preoccupazioni nella divulgazione di dati relativi alle migrazioni e alla cultura materiale, dettate da una contemporaneità divisa fra il bisogno di identità, anche nei regionalismi e soprattutto negli estremismi di destra, e la paura dell’alterità e del confronto interculturale.
in Migrazioni, clan, culture: archeologia, genetica e isotopi stabili, Atti del III Incontro per l’Archeologia barbarica (Milano, 18 maggio 2018), a cura di C. GIOSTRA, Mantova, pp. 157-198.
Palaeogenetic and isotopic research into Barbaricum
The latest interdisciplinary research projec... more Palaeogenetic and isotopic research into Barbaricum
The latest interdisciplinary research projects have revealed the non-local origin of various communities of Germanic 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 at times 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-native 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. This 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.
con E. DI FILIPPO BALESTRAZZI, N. FRAPICCINI, in Economia e Territorio nell’Adriatico centrale tr... more con E. DI FILIPPO BALESTRAZZI, N. FRAPICCINI, in Economia e Territorio nell’Adriatico centrale tra tarda Antichità e alto Medioevo (IV-VIII secolo), Convegno (Ravenna, 28 febbraio - 1 marzo 2014), a cura di E. CIRELLI, E. GIORGI, G. LEPORE, Oxford 2019 (BAR International, 2926), pp. 377-386.
(Atti Convegni Lincei, 318), in A cent’anni dalla nascita di Michelangelo Cagiano de Azevedo. Il ... more (Atti Convegni Lincei, 318), in A cent’anni dalla nascita di Michelangelo Cagiano de Azevedo. Il contributo di un archeologo alla conoscenza della transizione dal mondo classico al Medioevo, Atti del convegno (Roma, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 29-30 novembre 2012), Roma 2018, pp. 271-312.
in Antropologia e archeologia a confronto: archeologia e antropologia della morte. 2. Corpi, rela... more in Antropologia e archeologia a confronto: archeologia e antropologia della morte. 2. Corpi, relazioni e azioni: il paesaggio del rito, Atti del III Incontro Internazionale di Studi (Roma, 20-22 maggio 2015), a cura di V. Nizzo, Roma 2018, pp. 225-232.
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Papers by Caterina Giostra
In questa sede, si vuole avviare una riflessione sui contesti di cultura longobarda (fine VI-VII secolo). Dopo una valutazione quantitativa circa la riapertura delle tombe in campo aperto, viene presentato il caso studio della necropoli di Povegliano Veronese (Verona), che comprende vari fenomeni: tombe riaperte con parziale o totale asportazione di ossa e manufatti, rideposizioni in particolari settori del cimitero, tombe anche isolate riutilizzate più volte, croci in lamina d’oro non prelevate.
Qualche riscontro di fenomeni analoghi in altri siti simili permetterà di allargare la panoramica circa i temi finora individuati.
In Italy, if we exclude some phenomena in the ecclesiastical sphere such as the translation of holy bodies and the dissemination of relics, or the repeated use of tombs with structure and the exhumation of individuals buried in church, so far the reflections on the reopening of early medieval burials have been sporadic and incidental.
Here, we would like to initiate a reflection on the contexts of Lombard culture (late 6th-7th centuries). After a quantitative evaluation about the reopening of graves in the open field, the case study of the necropolis of Povegliano Veronese (Verona) is presented. It includes various phenomena: reopened graves with partial or total removal of bones and artifacts, redepositions in some particular sectors of the cemetery, even isolated tombs reused several times, and gold foil crosses not taken.
Some evidence of analogous phenomena at other similar sites will allow to broaden the overview on the themes identified so far.
Europe on both macro-
and
microlevels during the Early Medieval period. History and archaeology have long
focused on their description and identification based on written sources or through their
archaeological record. We provide a different perspective on this topic by integrating
paleogenomic, archaeological, and isotopic data to gain insights into the role of one such
elite group in a Langobard period community near Collegno, Italy dated to the 6-8th
centuries CE. Our analysis of 28 newly sequenced genomes together with 24 previously
published ones combined with isotope (Sr, C, N) measurements revealed that this community
was established by and organized around a network of biologically and socially
related individuals likely composed of multiple elite families that over time developed
into a single extended pedigree. The community also included individuals with diverse
genetic ancestries, maintaining its diversity by integrating newcomers and groups in later
stages of its existence. This study highlights how shifts in political power and migration
impacted the formation and development of a small rural community within a key
region of the former Western Roman Empire after its dissolution and the emergence of
a new kingdom. Furthermore, it suggests that Early Medieval elites had the capacity to
incorporate individuals from varied backgrounds and that these elites were the result of
(political) agency rather than belonging to biologically homogeneous groups.
We utilized a comprehensive sampling approach to characterize these cemeteries along with data from 38 additional burials from a previously published mid-6th century site6 and analyzed them alongside data from over 550 penecontemporaneous individuals.7–19 The range of genetic diversity in all four of these local burial communities is extensive and wider ranging than penecontemporaneous Europeans sequenced to
date. Despite many commonalities in burial customs and demography, we find that there were substantial differences in genetic ancestry between the sites. We detect evidence of northern European gene flow into the Lake Balaton region. Additionally, we observe a statistically significant association between dress artifacts and genetic ancestry among 5th century genetically female burials. Our analysis shows that the formation of early Medieval communities was a multifarious process even at a local level, consisting of genetically heterogeneous groups.
Sul progetto 'Castel Seprio, centro di potere': https://archeologiabarbarica.it/altre-attivita/
Sul volume: https://www.saplibri.it/catalogo/collana/11
The multidisciplinary research projects on the Longobards and Barbaricum that are presented in this volume seem to offer significant results in favour of the re-evaluation of migrations, of mobility more generally, and of material culture as a coherent expression of group identity and changes in the population. on one hand this research follows the path of genetics in archaeology, which has gone from palaeogenetics to archaeogenetics, from grand narratives to multifaceted analyses of entire single contexts that are more useful for understanding social processes in detail. on the other hand, the significance of the first new acquisitions is evaluated in historiographical terms, with reference to the criticisms of Post-processualism now underway and the possibility of developing new orientations and paradigms. finally, the author considers concerns in the communication of data relating to migration and material culture dictated by a contemporary polarization between the need for identity, seen in regionalism and especially in right-wing extremism, and the fear of otherness and intercultural confrontation.
I progetti di ricerca interdisciplinari sui Longobardi e sul Barbaricum che vengono presentati nel volume sembrano offrire risultati rilevanti a favore di una rivalutazione delle migrazioni, e più in generale della mobilità, e della cultura materiale quale espressione coerente di identità di gruppo e di cambiamenti nel popolamento. Tali ricerche vengono inquadrate, da un lato, nell’ambito del percorso che la genetica sta compiendo in archeologia: è passata dalla paleogenetica all’archeogenetica, da grandi narrazioni ad analisi integrate di singoli interi contesti, più utili alla comprensione dei processi sociali nel dettaglio. Dall’altro, si valuta il portato delle prime acquisizioni in termini storiografici, con riferimento alle critiche al post-processualismo ormai in corso e alla possibilità di maturare nuovi orientamenti e paradigmi. Infine, si considerano le preoccupazioni nella divulgazione di dati relativi alle migrazioni e alla cultura materiale, dettate da una contemporaneità divisa fra il bisogno di identità, anche nei regionalismi e soprattutto negli estremismi di destra, e la paura dell’alterità e del confronto interculturale.
The latest interdisciplinary research projects have revealed the non-local origin of various communities of Germanic 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 at times 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-native 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. This 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.