Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Session with keynote presentation and discussion
Title:
The 4th and 3rd Millennium BC Steppe Impact on Prehistoric Europe
Content:
In January 2019, the ERC Advanced Project ‘The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe (YMPACT)’ embarked on a journey to investigate the massive transformation that swept across Europe approximately 5000 years ago. Hosted by the University of Helsinki, Finland, and with partners working in the UK, Germany, and Hungary, the project has been an international and interdisciplinary team effort focusing on the western end of the huge Yamnaya distribution area, in the steppe landscapes of present-day territories of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Despite the unforeseen obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, close collaboration with local archaeologists in these countries facilitated intensive fieldwork and sample collection, culminating in three archaeological excavation campaigns, in Boldești-Grădiștea in Romania (2019), Mogila in Bulgaria (2021), and Hajdúböszörmény in Hungary (2023).
This session aims to offer a comprehensive overview of research conducted not only by YMPACT in the past five years, but also inviting other scholars to add data enriching our understanding of the Yamnaya impact on prehistoric Europe and opening up lines of future research. Drawing inspiration from the project's collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, the session will host contributions spanning archaeology, bio-anthropology, genetics/ancient DNA, biomarker lipids, and isotope biogeochemistry. Geo- and environmental sciences will contribute to discussions on palaeoclimatology, climate change research, soil formation processes, and landscape reconstructions. Lectures will present latest research, delving into the funerary archaeology of Yamnaya kurgans and material culture; exchange dynamics with southeastern European societies; the physical appearance and population dynamics of the Yamnaya; data on their mobility, diet, occupation, and lifestyle; their intricate connection with the environment; and the profound nature of the wider Yamnaya Impact.
Keywords:
Yamnaya, ancient DNA, climate, landscape, kurgan, multi-disciplinarity
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Volker Heyd (Finland) 1
Co-organisers:
Gabriella Kulcsár (Hungary) 2
János Dani (Hungary) 3
Denis Topal (Moldova) 4
Stefano Palalidis (Italy) 5
Affiliations:
1. University of Helsinki
2. Institute of Archaeology, HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
3. University of Szeged
4. National Museum of History of Moldova
5. Independent researcher
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT