UNRAVELING ROMAN MOBILITY: ARCHAEOGENOMIC INSIGHTS FROM ANATOLIA TO THE ITALIAN PENINSULA

The Roman Empire, one of the largest state entities of the ancient world, spanned three continents —Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia— surrounding the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 1,000 years. The Empire, as it expanded, also connected populations of distant regions through diverse processes including trade networks, voluntary and forced migration, and military service. These significantly influenced the demographic structures of local populations. The establishment and decline of the Roman Empire have been well-documented in political and cultural as well as population history for most parts of the Western Mediterranean. However, there has been little focus on the possible demographic transition in Anatolia following its occupation. This study aims to address this gap by investigating intra- and inter-regional mobility patterns during the Roman Era. To this end, we analyzed newly produced 95 Anatolian genomes dated the 6th century BCE to 10th century CE, from both coastal and inland regions of Anatolia. This data was analyzed after combining it with 121 published ancient genomes from mainly modern-day Italy dated to the same time interval. Our results indicate that the Anatolian gene pool remained relatively stable, undergoing less dramatic shifts compared to central Italy, despite the strong connections between Europe and Anatolia in this period. This suggests a notable degree of genetic continuity in Roman period Anatolia, while also revealing evidence of low level migrations from neighboring regions.