RoBMobS - Roman Britannia: Mobility and Society

During the Roman period communities were more connected within the imperial province of Britannia and to mainland Europe than they had ever been before, or would be again for many centuries. Archaeological and historical evidence suggests Britannia saw large-scale mobility and migration - and that these movements included not only people, but also objects, ideas and belief systems. Despite this, relatively little is known about migration into Britannia or mobility within the province, especially beyond cities. Understanding Britannia's demography and the dynamics of movement within and beyond the province currently relies on scant historical records, limited epigraphy, unreliable artefactual proxies and isolated scientific studies. Where scientific investigations of Romano-British cemeteries have been undertaken, these have lacked the resolution and/or scale to fully explore mobility. Considering the paradigm-shifting insights delivered by collaborative ancient DNA (aDNA), isotope and archaeological studies of prehistoric and early medieval populations in Britain in recent years, the lack of any large-scale holistic study of mobility in Britannia represents a major research lacuna. We now have the combined archaeological assemblages and archaeological science tools and techniques to address this major historical challenge thanks to developments in aDNA and isotope approaches alongside the critical mass of cemeteries recently excavated and assessed through developer-funded archaeology. The Roman period is an unparalleled opportunity for our research due to the availability of epigraphic and artefactual evidence, facilitating comparisons between biomolecular data and traditional material proxies for migration and mobility. Our proposed project's core aim is to characterise mobility and diversity in Britannia through interdisciplinary study of 396 individuals from cemeteries associated with different site types. By combining archaeological and biomolecular data, we will assess population trends across the province, whilst also building biographies of individuals and places. RoBMoBS will provide the first large-scale multi-proxy study combining aDNA and multi-isotope analyses with archaeological data to transform understanding of mobility and diversity across Britannia, and the first such large-scale combined study of a historic period. RoMoBS has five objectives: RO1: Explore scales and directions of mobility within/into Britannia through isotopic, genetic and archaeological evidence, including variation by site type and chronologically. RO2: Characterise genetic kinship and relatedness within cemetery populations, if present. RO3: Characterise diet through isotope analysis of cemetery populations. RO4: Assess inter- and intra- cemetery correlations between mobility, diet, artefacts, health, and biological sex. RO5: Compare new biomolecular evidence for mobility and kinship with prior historical and archaeological narratives, and characterise cultural and social transformations of communities during Roman rule of Britannia. RoBMoBS will frame innovative new directions for the study of Britannia, providing new multi-scalar population datasets - from familial ties to cross-continental migrations - across key site types. Our publications in field-leading journals in scientific and Roman archaeology will provide a blueprint for redefining populations of the provinces of the empire and for explorations of mobility and kinship in past populations globally. Alongside this, our engagement with museums and the public will illuminate the roots of diversity and mobility in Britain, and our knowledge-exchange will help strengthen the archaeological sector.