EAA2022: Abstract
Abstract is part of session #371:
Title & Content
Title:
An integrative genetics approach for studying disease in Early Medieval Europe
Content:
In the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and history, the study of human health and diseases have always played an important role as they have a substantial impact on individuals and societies. However, this is often limited to diseases that either leave traces on the skeleton or are documented in historical sources. Applying genetic methods, the field of archaeogenetics could add to our understanding of numerous pathogens that do not leave visible lesions on the skeleton. However, meaningful interpretation of genetic results is only possible following an integrative approach by combining information from all disciplines. In the ERC funded project ‘HistoGenes’, researchers and scholars from various fields work together to study the population history of Early Medieval Eastern Central Europe to understand more about human migration and mobility, the structure of past societies, such as kinship, as well as health and diseases.
One pathogen that can be observed across sites and through time is the hepatitis B virus, the causative agent of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in humans, which can be transmitted vertically from mother to child and horizontally as a sexually transmitted disease. Combined with our knowledge about relatedness and kinship within these social groups, we can interpret infections in much more detail, potentially tracing back chains of transmission and gain insights about the impact this disease might have had on individuals in the past.
Here we present first genetic results about the hepatitis B virus in Early Medieval Europe that are discussed and interpreted in an interdisciplinary context.
One pathogen that can be observed across sites and through time is the hepatitis B virus, the causative agent of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in humans, which can be transmitted vertically from mother to child and horizontally as a sexually transmitted disease. Combined with our knowledge about relatedness and kinship within these social groups, we can interpret infections in much more detail, potentially tracing back chains of transmission and gain insights about the impact this disease might have had on individuals in the past.
Here we present first genetic results about the hepatitis B virus in Early Medieval Europe that are discussed and interpreted in an interdisciplinary context.
Keywords:
Carpathian Basin, Early Medieval Eastern Central Europe, Diseases, Hepatitis B virus, Interdisciplinary study
Downloads:
authors
Main authors:
Alina Hiss1
Co-author:
Guido Gnecchi Ruscone1
Luca Traverso1
Ke Wang1
Tivadar Vida2,3
Walter Pohl4,5
Patrick J. Geary6
Zuzana Hofmanová1,7
Alexander Herbig1
Johannes Krause1
Luca Traverso1
Ke Wang1
Tivadar Vida2,3
Walter Pohl4,5
Patrick J. Geary6
Zuzana Hofmanová1,7
Alexander Herbig1
Johannes Krause1
Affiliations:
1 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
2 Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
3 Institute of Archaeology, Research Center for Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Budapest, Hungary
4 Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
5 Department of History, University of Vienna, Austria
6 Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA
7 Department of Archaeology and Museology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
2 Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
3 Institute of Archaeology, Research Center for Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Budapest, Hungary
4 Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
5 Department of History, University of Vienna, Austria
6 Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA
7 Department of Archaeology and Museology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia