Povegliano Veronese - A Post-classical necropolis from the Northern Italy (VI-VIII centuries AD)

The Longobard necropolis of Povegliano Veronese, discovered in 1985, is located in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. It is located near the “Via Postumia”, one of the main ancient Roman roads of Northern Italy. The necropolis was excavated in two field seasons (1985-86 and 1992-93). As a result, 162 Longobard burials were recovered. Based on the archaeological evidence the necropolis was dated from the late VI century to the early VIII century AD. A critical defining cultural aspect to this necropolis comes from the Northern portion of the site, were a headless horse with two greyhounds were found. This specific form of animal offering is typically found in Longobard necropolises. At first, it was essential investigate the biological profile of the population, with the aim to understand the population mortality profile and paleodemographic data. Further, the residential mobility of the population is the focus of our research. Longobards were a population “on the move” and in a pilot study, through the application of strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) on 25 individuals from the site, interesting data emerged. This research was fundamental to understand the complexity of mobility in post-classical studies, and it appears crucial to increase our understanding of historical sources. Finally, ethno-anthropological data were used to identify possible activitie carried out by the individuals to increase information about the archaeology of production in the Middle Ages, stimulating a methodology based on the dialogue between the archaeological and the biological investigation