Workshop New DNA and Bioarchaeological Approaches to Settler Colonialism in First-Millennium BCE Italy – 22 May 2026

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Workshop New DNA and Bioarchaeological Approaches to Settler Colonialism in First-Millennium BCE Italy

Date: 22 May 2026

Location: De Plek, Het Oude Raadhuis (Oude Boteringestraat 19 9712 GC Groningen)

Credits: 1 EC

This workshop examines whether the concept of settler colonialism offers a useful lens for analyzing colonialism and migration in ancient Italy during the first millennium BCE. In particular, it considers whether these processes might be understood as a “logic of elimination,” as proposed by Wolfe for the modern period. The panel opens with an overview of historical and archaeological scholarship on the impacts of colonial and migratory dynamics in ancient Italy. It then presents contributions exploring how bioarchaeological approaches, especially ancient DNA studies, might help advance this discussion. Contributors will consider the potential of these methods for shedding light on the demographic consequences of ancient colonial migrations and whether they could indicate population changes comparable to those suggested for modern settler colonial contexts. A key focus will be a critical discussion of the possibilities, limitations, and ethical considerations of using these datasets to explore questions of colonial impact, migration, and population dynamics in the ancient Mediterranean.

NB: Below are the confirmed speakers. For exact times and paper titles, please consult the conference website (link here).

Workshop program: 10:00 – 13:00

  • Jeremia Pelgrom (Groningen University)
  • Tesse Stek (Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome)
  • Alfredo Coppa (Sapienza University)
  • Quentin Bourgeois (Leiden University)
  • Simon Stoddart (Cambridge University)

Credits: ARCHON members can earn 1 EC for attending and handing in a standard report which references the preparatory reading listed below. Please send the report to the ARCHON coordinator within a month of the workshop.

In preparation students must read the following papers:

  • Emery, Matthew et al. (2018). Ancient Roman mitochondrial genomes and isotopes reveal relationships and geographic origins at the local and pan-Mediterranean scales. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 20. 200-209. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.04.036.
  • Furholt, Martin. (2017). Massive Migrations? The Impact of Recent aDNA Studies on our View of Third Millennium Europe. European Journal of Archaeology. 21. 1-33. 10.1017/eaa.2017.43.
  • Pelgrom, J. (2025). The Ancient Roots of Settler Colonialism. In J. Pelgrom, & C. Six (Eds.), Settler Colonialism as a Structure?: Structural Logics, Long-Term Patterns, and Critical Reflections (pp. 15-30). University of Groningen Press. (link here)

Contact: Please reach out to the ARCHON secretary for questions regarding credits, or to Jeremia Pelgrom for questions regarding the organisation and/or contents of the workshop.

Registration: The workshop is part of a larger two-day conference on settler colonialism. ARCHON participants who register for this workshop may attend the entire conference at no cost if they wish, but they must sign up through the conference website (link here).