Project description
Ancient food systems in KwaZulu-Natal
The EU-funded RAMEKIN project will explore the archaeology of food in coastal South-East Africa to determine how ancient agriculturalists coped with environmental change. The research fellow will test the hypothesis that it was only possible to occupy the region through a major shift in subsistence practice, namely an extensive reliance on wild coastal foods. RAMEKIN will therefore document the Early Iron Age archaeology of the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline using portable X-ray fluorescence to reveal details of ceramic composition and manufacture, indicating the wider relationships between these groups and others. Organic residue analyses of adsorbed lipids in cooking vessels will demonstrate the relative importance of coastal foods, such as shellfish, and domesticate animals like cattle during this expansion phase.
Objective
Ancient food systems are often broadly simplified as a dichotomy between foraging and farming. This view, however, is increasingly challenged by archaeologists who argue that it does not apply neatly to all contexts in the past. In fact, it is likely that ancient societies followed a myriad of pathways to full food production. The goal of this project, led by Dr Emma Loftus, is to explore the archaeology of food in coastal south-east Africa, one of the last major regions on Earth to be occupied by agriculturalists. Specifically, I test the hypothesis that this southernmost extension of pioneer farmers in Africa, during the 1st millennium AD, was only made possible by a substantial shift in subsistence practice, namely an extensive reliance on wild coastal foods. This project aims to document the little-explored Early Iron Age archaeology of the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline, extending to Mozambique. In conjunction with foot surveys, new excavations and scientific dating, RAMEKIN will undertake portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and organic residue analyses of the distinctive pottery made by early farmers. Portable-XRF reveals details of the ceramic composition and manufacture, indicating the wider relationships between these groups and others, including foragers and farming groups that appeared later in this region. Organic residue analyses of adsorbed lipids in cooking vessels will demonstrate the relative importance of coastal foods, such as shellfish, and animal domesticates, such as cattle, during this expansion phase. Altogether, RAMEKIN will facilitate new, nuanced perspectives on the many routes to food production in Africa, and will help to document the ways in which ancient agriculturalists dealt with episodes of environmental change, an increasingly pertinent topic given the evermore extreme and unpredictable climates faced by farmers today.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science domestic animals animal husbandry
- engineering and technology materials engineering ceramics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.