Living conditions prior to roman conquest: bioarchaeological evidence from the Castel di Decima necropolis

The necropolis of Castel di Decima (Rome, Italy) was identified in 1953 along the route of the Via Pontina (SS 148) in a suburb that now falls within the municipality of Rome. The settlement enjoyed a strategic position along the route that connected Rome and Lavinium, a location that suggested its identification with the ancient city of Politorium. This hypothesis was further supported by studies of the grave goods of the necropolis, which denote a period of use between 750 and 600 BCE, the latter date that historically corresponds to the one attributed to the conquest of Politorium by Rome under Anco Marzio. The particular significance of the site lies in the articulation of the funerary ritual and the richness of its grave goods, which include imports as well as symbols of social status, such as war chariots. The distribution of the burials and the nature of the grave goods help identify the eminent individuals in the community and the possible familial organization of the funerary space. To initiate the characterization of the population burying their deceased at the necropolis of Castel di Decima, the present study analyzes the osteological remains preserved at the Museo delle Civiltà in Rome. Despite the compromised conditions by which individuals are, in most cases, represented exclusively by dental crown fragments, data were collected for demographic parameters as well as dental morphology, oral health, early stress indicators, and non-masticatory use, through both macroscopic and microscopic analyses.