This two-part workshop series hosted by the British School at Rome (BSR) and Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI) aims to create a platform for sustained and critical discussion on bioarchaeological approaches to mobility and their potential to address archaeological questions. The spring workshop at the BSR on 2 April 2025 will focus on the methodologies used to investigate human and animal mobility. A second autumn workshop at the DAI on 13 November 2025 will explore mobility through key case studies.

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Mobility has emerged as a central theme in contemporary archaeological research, driven by both current discussions on modern migration and mobility, as well as the expanded use of scientific techniques that enable us to ask new questions of old materials. Bulk and high-resolution multi-isotope analysis, trace element analysis, and ancient DNA, alongside advances in dental histomorphometry and isoscape mapping, have refined our understanding of human and animal mobility in diverse contexts and at multiple scales. At the same time, there is increasing awareness of the complex relationship between archaeology and bioarchaeology, and the potential pitfalls of current methodologies and interpretive frameworks for addressing complex questions of human life in the past.

The contributions to this spring workshop examine methodological advances and challenges in reconstructing ancient mobility. Talks and discussion will address analytical and interpretive approaches to isoscapes, kinship relationships, and culturally oriented questions on the definitions of “non-local” and “local”. This event aims to strengthen the collaboration between the UK, Germany, and Italy in the field of archaeological sciences, and to engage university students and a broader academic audience in debates at the intersection of cutting-edge science and human questions of how we identify and interpret mobility in the past.

Programme

A 1-day workshop at the BSR. The full programme will be posted here in due course.

Confirmed speakers

Robert Anczkiewicz (Polish Academy of Sciences), Luca Bondioli (University of Padua and Polish Academy of Sciences), Carmen Esposito (University of Bologna), Francesco Fontani (University of Bologna), Federico Lugli (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), Alessia Nava (Sapienza University of Rome), Richard Madgwick (University of Cardiff), Wolfgang Müller (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt), Christophe Snoeck (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Angela Trentacoste (BSR)

Evening lecture – 18.00 at the BSR

The People Have Moved On, But So Has the Discipline

Luca Bondioli (University of Padua and Polish Academy of Sciences)