Abstract
The Alpine range is a primary focus for biocultural analyses of the Late Iron Age (LIA - 4th-1st centuries BCE) in Western Europe. The settlement in this period of «Celtic» groups in the Italian peninsula, and the establishment of transalpine cultural and commercial networks testify to the essential role of the Alps as both barrier and transit area between Central European and Mediterranean regions. In this presentation, we discuss the heterogeneous influence played by the Alps on LIA social dynamics and economy by presenting the first results of the recently funded CELTUDALPS research project. The project focuses on a multidisciplinary evaluation of territorial mobility, genetic variability, and their social correlates on more than 200 individuals representing LIA human groups of Northern Italy and Switzerland. We compare intra- and inter-contextual patterns of isotopic, paleogenetic, archaeological, and osteoarchaeological data to clarify the degree of territorial mobility in these two areas, the potential contacts between Transalpine and Cisalpine regions, and the effect played by environmental and cultural variables on human diet, mobility, and social differentiation. The preliminary picture emerging from these combined datasets suggests converging and diverging biocultural trajectories – and heterogeneous patterns on a geographic basis, while at the same time highlighting once more the Alpine range as main factor during this relevant period of European Prehistory.