The integrity of biomolecules across the oral matrix from Histria, Romania

Histria, an ancient urban center located near modern-day Constanta, Romania, was occupied for more than 13 centuries. Archaeological investigations at this site have yielded rich archaeological assemblages consisting of ancient Greek and Roman individuals. Many of the skeletal samples from the site are housed at the Francisc I. Rainer Institute of Anthropology in Bucharest. Many archaeological and osteological analyses have been performed on these remains, but no one has applied biomolecular techniques. This project applies metagenomic sequencing to two dental calculus and two dentin samples, as well as carries out a proteomic analysis recovering sex-specific peptides from two dentin samples. All samples in this study date to the Roman Imperial period (2nd-5th centuries CE). Our data suggest that ancient DNA and proteins are well-preserved at Histria. These results are encouraging and provide a framework for future research in the Balkans.