Project description
Megalithic monuments and social inequality in Europe
The transition to farming was an important moment in the rise of modern societies, occurring alongside the construction of megalithic monuments in north-western Europe around the 5th millennium BCE. While the exact reasons for these monuments remain unclear, the advent of agriculture might have contributed to social inequality. To further investigate this issue, innovative archaeological methods are necessary. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MEGALITH project will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, integrating multi-isotope and ancient DNA analysis to examine aspects of population ancestry, social organisation, gender dynamics, mobility, settlement patterns, and diet. It will shed light on how and why monumental structures were built, as well as their role in the societal shifts of the time.
Objective
The transition to farming provided the foundation for evolution of modern complex societies. This process, also known as a change from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic involved a radical shift in subsistence practices, from hunting and gathering to management of domesticated plants and animals. In north-western Europe, the development of farming was accompanied by a significant change in culture, with the construction of large megalithic monuments. This tradition emerged in France with the growth of farming here during the 5th millennium BC. It subsequently spread across the Channel to Britain and Ireland as farming arrived in these regions (from c. 4000 BC).
Despite very many decades of excavation, the question of why monuments began to be constructed with the growth and expansion of agriculture remains uncertain. It is hypothesized that this tradition may have emerged through the interaction of Mesolithic communities and migrant Neolithic groups in north-western France, as farming developed in this region. How people were chosen for burial in these immense and impressive monuments remains unknown. It has been suggested that these tombs were used for the burial of a dynastic elite, indicating that the growth of agriculture provided the foundations for development of social inequality in Europe.
A breakthrough in archaeological approach is needed to investigate these important questions. The methodology required must push beyond conventional excavation techniques to reveal how monuments were used, who is buried in these iconic monuments and why this tradition spread across north-west Europe. This project takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining multi-isotope and ancient DNA analysis to answer these questions. Using these methods MEGALITH will provide new direct evidence for population ancestry; social organization; gender relationships; mobility; settlement patterns and diet, to understand how monuments were used and why they were constructed.
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 genetics DNA
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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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)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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.
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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33000 Bordeaux
France
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