BODIes of CONtact: Identity negotiations and biocultural effects in the Roman colonies of Macedonia, Greece

ended

BODICON examines processes of identity negotiations under colonial regimes by investigating the biocultural effects of conquest and colonisation of the Roman Empire. Representing a new generation of contact studies, the aim is to expand upon traditional elite/non-elite dichotomies or the focus on the health of conquered peoples toward how political transformations are incorporated by the human body of both the colonized and the colonizers. The research focuses on Roman Macedonia (Greece) and explores variable effects of colonisation by analyzing skeletal remains and burial patterns from the colony of Dion, the sacred city and pilgrimage site of ancient Macedonians. To achieve this aim, BODICON adopts for the first time a novel, multifaceted and holistic approach that combines bioarchaeology and current, sophisticated theoretical reflection on culture contact and admixture of populations with cutting-edge interdisciplinary techniques and methodological innovations from other scientific fields (paleodietary reconstruction, biodistance analysis, radiochronology). The Fellowship will offer to the Experienced Researcher (ER) the opportunity to acquire advanced intellectual and technical training and new skills in these fields and reach the research objectives. At the same time, the Fellowship is the timely opportunity for the ER to re-establish her career after a prolonged break and the ideal next step in order to re-enforce her research position. Finally, the creation of interdisciplinary networks as well as the dissemination and communication of the results to the scientific community and the broader public will first, contribute to the global understanding of the formation of modern national identities and second, explore the way historical data are used in contemporary political debates.