The Roman Rhine was a dynamic region where people from diverse backgrounds lived together. New isotope research by bioarcheologist Maura De Coster reveals how mobility, diet and local differences shaped everyday life along the Roman border.
The Roman border is often associated with soldiers, forts and the divide between the Roman Empire and the world beyond. But what was everyday life like for the people who lived along this border? Where did they come from, what did they eat and how did they move around?
‘Although much is known about the military and political history of the Roman borderlands, the lives of ordinary people remain largely overlooked. This is partly because people were often cremated during this period, making their human remains difficult to study for a long time,’ says De Coster.
Isotope research in teeth and bones
Using chemical traces in teeth and bones, De Coster investigated how people lived along the Roman Rhine.
‘Our bodies absorb certain chemical elements through food and drinking water, which leave traces in our teeth and bones. These traces, known as isotopes, can be preserved for thousands of years. By comparing them with the natural composition of different landscapes, we can find clues about where people grew up and what they ate,’ says De Coster.
For her research, De Coster studied human remains from Roman burial sites in the Netherlands and north-west Germany. She examined the remains of both buried and cremated individuals. In the laboratory, small samples of teeth and bones were taken and analysed to determine their chemical composition.
By combining these chemical data with archaeological evidence, De Coster was able to investigate how mobility and everyday practices differed between communities along the Roman border.
The Roman border was a region of migration and exchange
‘My research shows that the Roman border was not always a hard dividing line, but can also be a dynamic region where people from diverse backgrounds lived together. Some grew up in the surrounding area, while others came from much further afield. The composition of these communities also varied considerably from place to place, even over relatively short distances.’
According to De Coster, the chemical differences found in human remains reveal much more than migration alone.
‘The story goes far beyond the question of whether someone came from the local area or elsewhere. Differences in the chemical composition of bones and teeth tell us not only about migration, but also about diet, the origins of food and how people shaped their everyday lives. This gives us a much more nuanced picture of life along the Roman border: not as a simple divide between Romans and non-Romans, but as a world in which people, goods and customs were constantly interacting.’
What the Roman Rhine can teach us about identity and migration
Today, too, borders, migration and identity are important societal issues.
De Coster says: ‘We often think in terms of “us” and “them”, or between people who belong somewhere and those who come from elsewhere. My research shows that the reality was much more complex even 2,000 years ago. The Roman border was not only a place of military control, but also of encounter, exchange and coexistence of ordinary people.’
Research into Roman Rhine finds applications in museums and education
De Coster’s research findings are already being used to make the Roman past more accessible to a wider audience. One example is the use of her research findings in exhibitions about the Roman past, where visitors discover that even 2,000-year-old bones can tell personal stories.
Photo: Lisette Kootker