A preliminary report on anthropological evidence from the Ostian suburbs (Rome, Italy)

The human remains of Castelfusano

Bibliographic Data

ID6433485
AuthorsAndy Laurenzi (corresponding author), Serena Vaccaro (Universidad de Huelva, corresponding author), Barbara Rossi (0000-0002-4358-5243, Regione Puglia), Alba Casaramona (National Archaeological Museum), Angelina De Laurenzi (Regione Puglia), Cristian D’Ammassa (Universidad de Huelva)
Year2025
Volume69
Pages105527-105527
Publication date2025-11-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Archaeological Science Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2352-409X • E-ISSN: 2352-4103
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105527
OpenAlexW4416753881
LanguageEN
References cited22

Between 2019 and 2020, on the southern peripheral slope of ancient Ostia, ten inhumation graves and one cremation tomb were uncovered, yielding a total of twelve individuals (MNI = 12). This discovery further confirms the distinctly funerary character of the area, where inhumation and cremation rites, at least during the early centuries of the Empire, appear to have coexisted within a lower-middle socio-economic context, primarily composed of individuals engaged in physically demanding labor. This interpretation is further supported by anthropological analyses conducted on human remains from nearby contexts previously studied. As this is a preliminary study, the initial findings are presented in the form of osteobiographies, developed using information derived from the archaeological context of discovery, the state of preservation and representativeness of the remains, the biological sex and age at death, as well as the presence or absence of pathological indicators for each individual. Although limited in number, the anthropological data from these burials are nonetheless highly informative and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the life cycle of individuals from non-elite backgrounds in the Ostian colony, an aspect of Roman society that remains underrepresented and requires further investigation. The types of tombs identified, the observed stress markers, and comparisons with adjacent contexts all suggest that these individuals likely belonged to a modest socio-economic class or were involved in labor-intensive occupations.

Character (mathematics) · Context (archaeology) · Interpretation (philosophy) · Preliminary report · Reinterpretation · Representativeness heuristic · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Paleopathology and ancient diseases

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