Periodic Reporting for period 1 - THAIS (Tracking Health and Ancestry Impact of the Greek colonisation in Southern Italy)
Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2025-05-31
The THAIS project aims to explore one of the most important periods in Mediterranean history, the Greek colonisation of Southern Italy between 900 and 500 BCE. While this era laid the foundations for cultural and political developments in the region, the demographic and biological impact of Greek colonisation remains poorly understood. THAIS aims to fill this gap by combining archaeological evidence with state-of-the-art ancient DNA analysis. The project investigates the genetic ancestry, kinship structures, and health profiles of both local indigenous Italic populations and incoming Greek settlers in order to reconstruct the demographic shifts and genetic legacies of Greek colonisation in southern Italy. The project also aims to demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary research, integrating archaeology, genomics, and bioanthropology to produce a more nuanced narrative of the past.
Since its commencement, the THAIS project has made progress toward its scientific objectives, despite facing some delays due to unforeseen events. Human skeletal remains from four key sites in Southern Italy plus two additional sites were analysed. These remains were subjected to advanced ancient DNA extraction and sequencing techniques, allowing for the reconstruction of individual genetic profiles. Despite the inherent complexities of working with degraded molecules, the project successfully generated high-quality genetic data from 75 ancient individuals. One of the main achievements has been the successful preliminary results suggesting distinct genetic signatures associated with both local Italic populations and incoming Greek settlers offering new insights into the demographic and social dynamics of early colonial encounters. The project also developed and prepared some framework for integrating genetic data with archaeological context, enabling more precise interpretations of burial practices, social organisation, and mobility patterns. This interdisciplinary approach enabled more nuanced interpretations . These findings have been presented at international conferences and are being prepared for publication in peer-reviewed journals. These contributions are expected to significantly advance the field of biomolecular archaeology and stimulate further research on ancient Mediterranean populations.
THAIS pushes the boundaries of archaeological science by applying high-resolution ancient DNA analysis to a historically significant but genetically understudied region. Unlike previous studies that focused primarily on material culture, THAIS provides direct biological evidence of population dynamics during the Greek colonisation. The project highlights the need for analysing more recent parts of human history through a palaeogenomic lens, and the importance of nuance by combining science and traditional archaeology.