TARL seminar 3rd May 2024

A new lease on life: using advanced analytical techniques in bioarchaeology to maximise a new understanding of past populations of Sardinia

Dr Rossella Paba

Abstract:

This seminar provides the first comprehensive evaluation of two groups of people living during two key periods in Sardinia. First, life in the Middle Neolithic was investigated via the skeletal remains of Su Forru de is Sinzurreddus in Pau. Secondly, the Monte Luna Necropolis in Senorbì provided information on the Punic era.

The application of advanced analytical techniques, together with the anthropological analysis, the climate and environmental differences, and the understanding of the topography of the territory have drawn the profile in terms of oral health, stature, and hypoplasia.
The complexity of Sardinia resulted in an independent development, but with a high level of connectivity with mainland Europe during the Middle Neolithic and the Punic Era.

The profiling of the respective populations shows the differences and similarities of two communities separated by several millennia and characterised by different cultural and historical contexts, providing valuable information to aid future research in Sardinia and the Mediterranean region.