Innovating Works

UNEARTH

Financiado
Unearthing ancient social structures with sediment DNA
Humans and other living beings are constantly shedding DNA, and this DNA is preserved in archaeological sediments. In 2021, I developed the first methods for reliably capturing and analyzing human nuclear ancient DNA (aDNA) from s... Humans and other living beings are constantly shedding DNA, and this DNA is preserved in archaeological sediments. In 2021, I developed the first methods for reliably capturing and analyzing human nuclear ancient DNA (aDNA) from sediments, leveraging this abundant genetic resource as a reliable tracer of biological identity. For ancient societies, such aDNA has the potential to function as forensic breadcrumbs that trace the spaces inhabited by ancient individuals. At the well-documented, multi-phase Early Bronze Age settlement of Vráble, I will undertake a cutting-edge research program to obtain human aDNA from over 100 individual house floors, spanning the entire occupational area and 500-year history of the settlement. The UNEARTH project will reveal inheritance patterns and social organization, and map individuals from the cemetery back onto the spaces where they left their genetic traces. By integrating genetic, bioarchaeological, and isotope analyses, UNEARTH seeks to uncover socioeconomic stratifications and their role in prehistoric neighborhood organization. The methods developed in UNEARTH for extracting and analyzing human aDNA from sediments will have wide-ranging impact on archaeogenetics, enabling new analyses on archaeological sites, cultures and time periods that lack associated human remains. Crucially, UNEARTH will develop a robust framework for using human aDNA from sediments in cases where bones cannot be ethically sampled. By establishing new methodology and best practices for sampling and analyzing sediment aDNA, this project will unlock rich genetic records that are ubiquitous at nearly every archaeological site in order to elucidate the lived experiences of prehistoric Europeans at unprecedented resolution. ver más
30/04/2029
MPG
2M€
Perfil tecnológico estimado
Duración del proyecto: 63 meses Fecha Inicio: 2024-01-17
Fecha Fin: 2029-04-30

Línea de financiación: concedida

El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2024-01-17
Línea de financiación objetivo El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-2023-COG: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS
Cerrada hace 1 año
Presupuesto El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a 2M€
Líder del proyecto
MAXPLANCKGESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSE... No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico TRL 4-5