Italian Populations During the Copper Age: Assessment of
Biological Affinities Through Morphological Dental Traits
Rita Vargiu,1 Andrea Cucina,2 and Alfredo Coppa1
Abstract The Copper Age (3rd millennium BC) was characterized by con-
siderable socioeconomic transformations and coincided with the discovery
of metallurgy. In this study we reconstruct the peopling of Italy during this
period on the basis of dental morphology traits. Dental remains from 41 sites
throughout Italy were analyzed; only three of the sites (Laterza and two from
Sicily) span from the late Copper Age to the early Bronze Age. To work with
adequate samples, we pooled the collections into nine geographically and
culturally homogeneous groups. Dental morphological traits were scored
on 8,891 teeth from 1,302 individuals using the ASUDAS scale. The cor-
relation between the mean measure of divergence and geographic distances
(calculated as air distances) was computed. Multidimensional scaling with
the minimum spanning tree and maximum-likelihood methods was applied
to assess the relationships between groups. The results revealed a substantial
genetic homogeneity among the populations throughout the Italian peninsula
during the Copper Age with the exception of Sardinia, which tends to diverge
from the continental samples. Phenetic and geographic distances correlate
highly significantly only when the southern samples from Sicily and Laterza
are removed from the analysis, which indicates that these groups may have
experienced genetic admixture with external populations.
The Italian Copper Age (3000 BC to 2300 BC) experienced a number of impor-
tant biological and cultural changes from the previous Neolithic times. Metallur-
gical techniques made their appearance, animal-drawn chariots were introduced
(Guidi 1992, 1999), agricultural productivity increased, and new distinct funerary
customs appeared [e.g., collective megalithic burials and division of graveyards
according to social ranking criteria (Cardarelli 1992)]. Eight main classic and
well-known archaeological facies, all sharing the same Mediterranean cultural
background, characterize the Italian Copper Age. Several other local facies can
1
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, Università di Roma “Sapienza,” Ple. A. Moro 5, 00185
Rome, Italy.
2
Facultad de Ciencias Antropológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Km. 1 Carretera Mérida-Tizimín,
97305 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
Human Biology, August 2009, v