PINHASI-ERC

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Project publications


Alpaslan-Roodenberg, M. Songül , Gerritsen, Fokke A. , Özbal, Rana. 2013. Neolithic Burials from Barcin Höyük: The 2007-2012 Excavation Seasons. Anatolica 39:93-111.


von Cramon-Taubadel N. Stock JT, Pinhasi R. 2013.Skull and limb morphology differentially track population history and environmental factors in the transition to agriculture in Europe. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1337


Pinhasi R, Timpson A, Thomas M, Slaus M. 2013.Bone growth, limb proportions and non-specific stress in archaeologicalpopulations from Croatia. Annals of HumanBiology DOI:10.3109/03014460.2013.835443


Lillie, M, Budd C, Alpaslan-Roodenberg S, Karul N, Pinhasi R. 2012 Musings on Early Farming Communities in Northwest Anatolia and other Flights of Fancy Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica 3(1):11-22.


Budd C, Lillie M, Alpaslan-Roodenberg S, Karul N, Pinhasi R. 2012. Stable Isotope Analysis of Neolithic and Chalcolithic populations from Aktopraklık, northern Anatolia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40:860-86.

Anouncements

New NGS human ancient DNA lab at UCD, Dublin

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From the earliest modern humans to the onset of farming (45,000-4,500 BP)
January 2011-December 2014

This project which is led by Ron Pinhasi and is carried out in collaboration with leading European scientists, investigates the evolution and nature of major prehistoric processes which are key to our understanding of what happened in European prehistory: the origins and spread of modern humans during the Late Pleistocene, their survival during the last Ice Age, post-glacial expansions, the emergence of the first agricultural societies and the decline and eventual disappearance of most hunter-gatherer societies in Europe.

The focus is on the application of state of the art methods in genetics, archaeological sciences and anthropology which allow our team to address for the first time these major processes in sufficient depth and resolution and to yield new knowledge about the interface between human biology, climate , culture and life style.

The colonisation of Europe by anatomically modern humans (AMHs) ca. 45,000 years before present (BP) and the transition to farming ca. 8,000 BP are two major events in human prehistory. Both events involved certain cultural and biological adaptations, technological innovations, and behavioural plasticity which are unique to our species. The reconstruction of these processes and the causality between them has so far remained elusive due to technological, methodological and logistical complexities.

Major developments in our understanding of the anthropology of the Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, and advances in ancient DNA (aDNA) technology and chronometric methods now allow us to assess in sufficient resolution the interface between these evolutionary processes, and changes in human culture and behaviour.

The project investigates the complex interface between the morphological, genetic, behavioural, and cultural factors that shaped the population history of European AMHs.

The approach taken include (a) the collection of bioarchaeological, aDNA, stable isotope (for the analysis of ancient diet) and radiometric data on >700 skeletons from key sites/phases across Eurasia, and (b) the application of existing and novel aDNA, bioarchaeological and simulation methodologies.


This research will yield results that transform our current understanding of major demographic and evolutionary processes and will place Europe at the forefront of anthropological, biological, and genetic research.



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