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A new explanatory paradigm for the agricultural economies of the Aegean Late Bronze and Early Iron Age using Machine Learning-aided 3D morphometrics and stable isotope analyses

Project description

The role of agriculture in the Aegean region in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age

The causes behind the collapse of Bronze Age societies around the Aegean Sea has been speculated upon for many years. Owing to the limited knowledge regarding the role of agriculture during this period, a new approach is needed. The EU-funded DarkSeeds project will combine new and established techniques to re-examine the role of agriculture during the Late Bronze Age – Early Iron Age (LBA-EIA) period in the region. Researchers will examine archaeobotanical material from six sites across the Aegean and apply new methodologies that combine 3D photogrammetry, machine learning-aided geometric morphometrics and targeted stable isotope analysis to infer agricultural practices and gain new insights into the processes underpinning LBA-EIA societies.

Objective

The collapse of Bronze Age societies in the Aegean led to a period known as the ‘Greek Dark Ages’ (Early Iron Age, EIA) that involved major socio-economic disruptions and transformations. The causes of these changes and their impact on the agricultural economy of these societies have been matters of a long-lasting debate. The nature of agricultural management and production in this period is largely speculative due to limited bioarchaeological data and the inherent limitations involved in the analysis of available evidence. Owing to the lack of knowledge regarding the role of agriculture in these processes of socio-economic turmoil, a new approach to the debate is needed. DarkSeeds aims to re-examine the role of agriculture to provide an evidence-based understanding and a new explanatory model of the economic changes during the Late Bronze Age (LBA) – EIA, through a novel combination of traditional and newly developed methods and emerging technologies. In particular, it will employ archaeobotanical material from six sites across the Aegean to capture spatial variability and will: (1) use standard archaeobotanical approaches, including synthesis of existing data; and (2) apply and refine a new methodology, pioneered by the supervisory team, that combines 3D photogrammetry, Machine Learning-aided Geometric Morphometrics (GMM) and targeted stable isotope analysis, and uses directly the 3D shape of cereal seeds to infer agricultural practices. This combination of traditional with advanced and newly developed scientific techniques has the potential to step-change the investigation of complex issues of agricultural change and provide new, in-depth understandings of the very processes that underpinned the LBA-EIA societies. DarkSeeds will build upon the Experienced Researcher’s expertise to equip her with an excellent toolkit, through hands-on training, that can place her at the forefront of cutting-edge research and establish her at the top of her field.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 160 932,48
Address
Plaça Rovellat s/n
43003 Tarragona
Spain

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Region
Este Cataluña Tarragona
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Research Organisations
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Total cost

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.

€ 160 932,48
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