Naslov
In Service to the Sultan: Biological affinity analysis of Vlach Ottoman vassals from southern Croatia

Autori
Grow Allen, Kathryn ; Šlaus, Mario ; Adamić Hadžić, Anita ; Von Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Program of the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists / - , 2019, 5-5

Skup
88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Mjesto i datum
Cleveland (OH), Sjedinjene Američke Države, 27.03.2019. - 30.03.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Vlach ; Croatia ; metric ; non-metric ; cranium

Sažetak
Since the 10th century, the term ‘Vlach’ was used as an ethnic determinant in Southeast Europe, communities under this title living and governing separately from non-Vlach populations. The true origins and identity of Vlach communities is a debated historical question. Biologically, both Slavic and pre-Slavic heritages have been credited. Alternatively, at certain times in history written records labelled communities as ‘Vlach’ based on a nomadic, pastoral lifestyle. With both cultural and biological definitions, this ethnicity is not well understood. During the Ottoman period in particular, Vlach could be a catch- all administrative term for pastoral clans in service to the state, biological identities not considered as smaller pastoral communities were absorbed into this title. This research analyzed a Vlach community of Ottoman vassals, examining whether cultural isolation and ethnic division were matched by biological distance. Metric and non-metric cranial variation highlighted the biological affinity of a southern Croatian Vlach population. A sample of 32 Vlach crania were compared to a nearby non-Vlach sample, as well as more distant Eurasian samples. Analyzing 32 cranial measurements and 24 non-metric variables with D2 -matrices, Principal Coordinates Analysis, and Mean Measure of Divergence tests, results highlight a Vlach population with biological affinity most similar to the very proximate, nearby community. This begs consideration of the division maintained historically between these Vlach and non-Vlach populations, labelled as an ethnic divide. Analyses such as these remind us that ethnic divisions do not necessarily indicate biological divisions.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA