Project description
Mapping the interplay between Greek settlers and locals in southern Italy
The Greek colonisation era (900-500 BC) is a historical cornerstone, yet the process and its demographic impact remain shrouded. Backed by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the THAIS project will delve into human skeletal remains from four sites in southern Italy, a nucleus of Greek colonisation. By studying genetic ancestry to migration patterns, THAIS intertwines existing archaeological clues with pioneering ancient DNA insights gleaned from the skeletal remains. It will chart the genetic ancestry and kinship patterns of the local Italic population and trace the origins of Greek colonists at key settlements like Metaponto and Siris. It will also examine the demographic shifts catalysed by Greek colonisation and track the genetic legacies.
Objective
The period of Greek colonisation between 900 and 500 BC was one of the most formative periods of classical antiquity. Historical and archaeological research has greatly informed our understanding of this era, but the exact nature and demographic impact of the colonisation process remains unclear. The THAIS project will shed new light on this process by combining existing archaeological evidence with new ancient DNA data based on the analysis of human skeletal remains from four archaeological sites in Southern Italy, one of the focal points of Greek colonisation. Using archaeological and molecular lines of evidence, the project will address the following objectives: 1) reconstruct the genetic ancestry and kinship structures of the local Italic population in southern Italy; 2) investigate the origins of the Greek colonists at two colonial sites (Metaponto and Siris); 3) assess nature and demographic impact of the Greek colonisation by investigating possible admixture processes and sex-biased migration, and 4) investigate the genetic legacies and lasting health impact of the Greek colonisation in Southern Italy. The THAIS project will be the first to use ancient DNA analysis to study the impact of the Greek colonisation and together with archaeological lines of evidence will provide new information on the colonisation process and the interactions between the colonists and the indigenous Italic population at a key moment in Mediterranean history.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryancient history
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNA
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Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
1165 Kobenhavn
Denmark