Project summary

The Momentum Bioarchaeology Research Team adopts an interdisciplinary approach focusing on the northeastern region of the Roman Province of Pannonia. In this model region, a multi-ethnic and multicultural social environment flourished under Roman rule, where the relationships between foreigners and locals were continuously transformed and re-evaluated from the 1st to the 5th centuries. The project proposal is innovative and comprehensive in both its inquiries and methodologies. The research aims first to uncover and understand the biological composition and the dynamics of the population changes during the Roman era, taking into account the interrelations of its subgroups and social strata. Secondly, it investigates and gathers evidence about the living conditions, life quality, and health of the Roman and Romanized inhabitants across various settlement types (city, castellum, and village). This is achieved through detailed anthropological, genomic, and stable isotopic analyses of residents from Aquincum (Óbuda), Solva (Esztergom), and Páty, in conjunction with archaeological hypotheses and inquiries. To gain insights into the lives of the Pannonian people, the project also utilizes archaeozoological and genetic research on valuable domesticated animals, such as horses and camels. This approach will not only steer new directions in science and its dissemination but also aims to integrate the bioarchaeological knowledge acquired from the project into the informational and exhibition materials of the partnering museums.

The planned project fills a gap both in Hungary and on the international stage. Understanding the Northeast Pannonian communities, the interactions at the borders, and the local-foreign population dynamics can also serve as a model for comprehending similar processes in other areas of the Empire. The momentum generated by consolidating bioarchaeological efforts in this project has the potential to revitalize the sometimes stagnant field of urban archaeology and our fragmentary understanding of ancient history by providing new evidence and perspectives.