DNA studies of Roman Hungary

[guy]

 

An international team sequenced the DNA of 314 Roman skeletons found in northwestern Hungary, dating from the third to sixth centuries AD. They compared the DNA of those who lived in the area during the Roman Empire with that of those who lived there after the Empire’s collapse. The skeletons included 68 people from two Roman-era sites and 246 from five post-Roman sites.

Roman-period graves reveal people with predominantly southern European ancestry, alongside individuals with ancestry from Asia and Africa, reflecting the Roman frontier’s cosmopolitan character. After Rome’s authority collapsed, however, cemeteries show a sharp rise in northern European ancestry, consistent with sustained migration by groups such as the Lombards, who gradually moved into former Roman territory rather than arriving as a single invading force.

Background: Roman administration in Pannonia (including what is now western Hungary) effectively ended by 496 AD, after which the region came under the control of Germanic powers, especially the Gepids.

The Lombards, originally a northern Germanic people, moved south into the Middle Danube region in the late 5th century.

Under King Audoin, the Lombards defeated the Gepids at the Battle of Asfeld in 552 AD, weakening Gepid control in eastern Hungary.

After this victory, the Lombards left Hungary in 568 AD and migrated en masse into Italy, leaving the Avars to dominate the region.

It's interesting to see how modern technology is helping us learn more about Ancient Rome. I look forward to more DNA studies in the future, especially those that explore how populations changed over time in Ancient Rome.

 

https://www.newsbreak.com/daily-mail-560402/4880578853434-ancient-dna-exposes-a-hidden-chapter-in-the-fall-of-the-roman-empire

 

How the Lombards easily conquered Italy:

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by guy