Inserting the dead in living spaces in Bronze Age Southern Italy: the case of Coppa Nevigata

AI interpretationAI-generated

Bronze Age Italy: the dead were buried among the living, not just in cemeteries.

This study of Coppa Nevigata, a fortified Bronze Age site in southern Italy, challenges the idea that Italian Bronze Age burials were mostly single graves or cremations. Instead, the dead were placed within the living settlement in three ways: burial, exposure, and intentional reburial of single bones. Isotopes and ancient DNA show differences between these modes, suggesting motives like ancestor power, group identity, and political claims.

• Three distinct funerary modes existed at one habitation site: burial, exposure, and secondary deposition of single bones.
• Human remains were frequently moved between different funerary contexts.
• Isotopic and aDNA analyses reveal biological differences among individuals in these three deposition modes.

Sample interpretation

The site yielded 21 ancient samples, but only 11 had resolved Y-chromosome lineages. Most Y-haplogroups belong to R1b (R-M269 and related), with one I-CTS1799. Mitochondrial DNA is diverse, including H1, K1a3a, X2b-b, H7, and U4a, plus three unresolved. This small sample hints at a male-dominated R1b presence, but numbers are too low for broad conclusions.

For genealogy enthusiasts

For ancestry fans, this shows that ancient DNA from unusual contexts, like bones scattered in settlements, can reveal complex death rituals and social ties, not just migration patterns. It reminds us that burial practices were diverse and meaningful.