Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Title:
Building Bridges: An Open Forum for Archaeology and Metagenomics
Content:
Humans and microbes have always maintained an enduring coexistence, directly and indirectly shaping each other’s biology and evolution.
Ancient metagenomics is an emerging field at the crossroads of archaeology, biology and computational sciences. It interrogates our shared past by analysing preserved ancient microbial DNA from a variety of archaeological matrices, ranging from dental calculus to preserved biological material in ancient vessels. This innovative approach has introduced a paradigm shift in our comprehension of historical human lifestyles, dietary customs, and health.
Seizing the rare opportunity of bringing experts in archaeology, molecular and computational biology together, we aim to promote an open and collaborative atmosphere to stimulate exchanges between disciplines and enrich our collective grasp of the past.
In this session, we encourage the presentation of projects that are at the intersection of the above disciplines. For instance, the study of ancient pottery (e.g. a wine amphora), can provide new insights into historical context, international trade, ancient diet, as well as the identification of ancient microorganisms associated with wine fermentation.
Embracing this dynamic format, the session will endorse "tandem presentations", with an expert from each field, alongside conventional talks and posters, that showcase research from the individual disciplines of expertise. As an example, a study based on birch tar could be presented by a biologist, delving into the oral microbiome and dietary signals extracted from the substrate, together with an archaeologist who investigates the uses of this material and its cultural context.
The presentations will be followed by discussions designed to mend the gap between disciplines. Through this integrative approach, our session aspires to bridge disciplinary boundaries and promote a more nuanced and interconnected understanding of our shared heritage.
Keywords:
Microbes, Archaeology, Interdisciplinarity, Metagenomics, Collaboration, Data science
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:
Biancamaria Bonucci (Estonia) 1
Co-organisers:
Maxime Borry (Germany) 2,3
Maria Lopopolo (France) 4
Aleksandra Laura Pach (Denmark) 5
Andrea Quagliariello (Italy) 6
Affiliations:
1. Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu
2. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
3. Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology Hans Knöll Institute
4. Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 2000, Microbial Paleogenomics Unit, F-75015 Paris, France
5. Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
6. Dept. Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua
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