Bronze Age migration in Greece largely involved young adults, skeletal samples suggest
Young adults, not families, drove migration in Bronze Age communities. Using skeletal samples from archaeological sites in Greece, researchers mapped mobility during the region's Middle and Late Bronze Age. The study suggests that young people sought out new communities.
A new study of Bronze Age Greek communities, published in PLOS One, suggests that the migration patterns during this period were largely driven by young adults rather than families. Researchers analyzed skeletal samples from 199 individuals found in archaeological sites across southern and central Greece, spanning the Middle and Late Bronze Age. The findings, based on strontium isotope analysis, indicate that approximately 5% to 10% of the individuals in each community were from nonlocal origins.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the study is that nonlocal individuals were identified across different burial practices, including both simple and elaborately decorated graves. This discovery challenges the common assumption that mobility and migration were primarily associated with wealthier or higher-status individuals. Instead, the data shows that mobility was prevalent among young adults under the age of 30, who were most likely to be nonlocal.
The study also addresses the traditional belief that women were more likely to move between communities, particularly through marriage in patrilineal societies. However, the researchers found that the numbers of nonlocal men and women were comparable, indicating that various factors likely influenced an individual's decision to migrate.
Serena Sabatini of the University of Gothenburg, one of the study's authors, noted that these results challenge traditional assumptions about mobility and migration in prehistoric societies.
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