Descripción del proyecto
Información clave sobre las comunidades de viviendas sobre pilotes de Europa central
Los asentamientos de los lagos alpinos, conocidos por sus artefactos orgánicos y de madera conservados, son importantes archivos arqueológicos de la prehistoria humana. Hay más de mil lugares de este tipo descritos, de los cuales, ciento once están incluidos en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la Unesco. El equipo del proyecto ALPGEN, financiado con fondos europeos, explorará la historia de las poblaciones de los asentamientos lacustres desde alrededor del 5 000 al 500 a.e.c. En concreto, se secuenciará el ADN antiguo y otras biomoléculas de la «goma de mascar» antigua que se encuentra en los asentamientos lacustres en los Alpes y sus alrededores. Esto servirá para mejorar la comprensión de las interacciones, la demografía y la cultura de las comunidades alpinas. El equipo del proyecto también aportará nuevos conocimientos sobre la salud de estas personas y la composición de su microbioma oral, entre otros.
Objetivo
The prehistoric pile dwellings in and around the Alps constitute one of the most important archaeological archives of human prehistory. Dating from around 5000 to 500 BC, there are over 1000 known sites in the region, 111 of which are listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The sites are mainly located under water, on lake shores, along rivers, or in wetlands, offering exceptional conditions for the preservation of organic materials like wood, plant remains, animal bones, artefacts, and even textiles. Because of their exceptional preservation, the archaeological remains from those sites give us a unique window into the lives of prehistoric people and the development of early agrarian societies in Central Europe. However, despite the rich material evidence from the settlements, we know relatively little about the people who lived there. This is because there are no burials directly associated with the lake settlements, which has precluded the study of ancient DNA, for example. Luckily, there are other sources of ancient DNA, including ancient “chewing gums” which provide a rich of ancient human and host-associated microbial DNA as we recently demonstrated. In this project we will sequence ancient DNA and other biomolecules from ancient “chewing gums” found at lake settlements in and around the Alps to shed new light on the lives of the Alpine communities that settled there between 5000 and 500 BC. With access to over 300 specimens from archaeological sites north and south of the Alps, we have the unique opportunity to study their interactions and the demographic and cultural changes that characterised the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in Central Europe. In addition, the project promises to offer new insights into peoples’ health and the composition of their oral microbiome, as well as their diet and subsistence strategies. Together, the proposed research will provide us with a richer understanding of the pile-dwelling communities of Central Europe.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC)Institución de acogida
1165 Kobenhavn
Dinamarca