Transalpiner Kulturtransfer: Bevölkerung und Nutztiere des raetischen Alpen- und Alpenvorlandes im 1. Jahrhundert n. Chr.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Joris Peters
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2012 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191679530

The conquest of the Alps and its northern piedmont region by Rome in 15 BC represents a major break relative to the region´s cultural development. Archaeologically unsolved for the moment are the whereabouts of the autochthonous Celtic-native and Rhaetian populations and their role in the nascent Province Rhaetia. Of particular interest is the so-called “Heimstetten group” (c. 30-60AD), confined to the region between the rivers Lech and Inn. Characterized by inhumation burials with copious traditional dresses, this culture is only tangible for slightly more than a single generation. The interpretations hitherto existing are controversial: Roman-controlled immigration from the Tyrolean Inn Valley or cultural development of autochthonous origin? In this project, five large-scale settlements of the “Heimstetten group” will be studied archaeologically and zooarchaeologically regarding their genesis and cultural imprint and the results compared with those from pre-Roman occupations in the region. By way of contrast, the vicus of Langweid located near Augsburg on the Via Claudia leading to Italy will be investigated. This early Roman settlement was founded by immigrants with Mediterranean cultural roots.Beyond the archaeological and zooarchaeological examination of finds and features, we will apply for the first time isotopic fingerprinting (Sr, Pb) to cremated and uncremated osseous remains from humans and animals in order tracing their geographic origin, thus providing an answer to the issue of continuity or discontinuity in first century AD human and animal populations. In the first phase of the project (2013-2015), isotopic signatures were generated with bioarchaeological finds from prehistoric sites in different parts of Rhaetia. During the second project phase (2016-2018), the results will be compared with the signatures from bone finds in early Roman contexts. Evidence for an allochthonous individual will raise the question about its geographic origin. However, provided a long-range transfer of domestic animals is involved, the reason why people bothered to translocate animals needs to be answered as well.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1670: Transalpine Mobility and Culture Transfer