The period 27 BCE–400 CE, conventionally described as Imperial Rome, is less a single origin story and more a palimpsest of populations pressed together by empire. Archaeological excavations at necropoleis and suburban settlements — including Via Paisiello and Viale Rossini (Necropoli Salaria), Isola Sacra, Palestrina Antina, Monterotondo, Mazzano Romano, Centocelle, Casale del Dolce, Marcellino & Pietro, and the ANAS site — reveal burial practices, imported grave goods, and osteological markers of varied life histories. These materials indicate intense contact across the Mediterranean: merchants, soldiers, migrants, and local Italians all left traces in the same cemeteries.
Genetic data from 48 individuals sampled across these sites provide a population-level picture that complements the material record. The prominence of Y-haplogroup J among male-line calls suggests connections that reach into the eastern Mediterranean and Near East, while J, G and R lineages reflect both longstanding regional lineages and movements tied to trade and imperial logistics. Archaeological data indicates waves of mobility — not a single mass migration — which is consistent with a city and its environs acting as a hub for short- and long-distance arrivals. Limited evidence suggests some individuals’ origins lie beyond Italy, but the full geographic distribution requires larger comparative datasets for finer resolution.
