Project description
Plants and early farmers in the Levant
The EU-funded PATH project explores how the introduction of domestic crops affected plant-human interactions at the dawn of agriculture in the Levant. Qualitative and quantitative microscopy will be combined to study ground stone tools (GST) and ancient dental calculus from sites in Israel, Jordan Highlands and South-East Turkey. By examining micro-remains (starch granules) entrapped on GSTs and dental calculus, the consumed plants will be identified along with their processing strategies. Among the first studies combining GST and ancient tartar analysis, PATH will provide a novel multidisciplinary dataset and interpretative means that will integrate current hypotheses on plant domestication, enhancing our understanding of human-plant relationships at the brink of the transition from hunter-gathering to farming in the Near East.
Objective
PATH aims at understanding human-plant interactions at the dawn of one of the most significant changes in human evolution, agriculture. Plant domestication led to considerable changes in behavioural, technological and social terms ending millions of years of hunting-gathering. Analysing indirect and direct evidence of plant food processing and consumption, namely ground stone tools (GSTs) and ancient dental calculus from key sites in Israel, the Jordan Highlands and South-East Turkey, PATH will unravel how the introduction of domestic crops affected established patterns of wild plant exploitation and the dietary habits of the first Levantine farmers. The function of GSTs will be investigated through use wear and residue analysis following a novel methodological approach combining qualitative and quantitative microscopy techniques. The study of plant micro remains, such as starch granules, entrapped in dental calculus will provide information on the consumed plant foods at a species level. PATH represents one of the first studies where the analysis of GST use and ancient tartar is combined, providing a novel multidisciplinary dataset and new interpretative means that will integrate current hypotheses on plant domestication. The project will be developed at the Milá y Fontanals Institute on Humanities Research (IMF-CSIC) in Barcelona (Spain) with a Secondment at the Diet and Ancient Technology – DANTE laboratory at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). The Fellowship will allow the Applicant to develop new theoretical knowledge and practical skills for what concerns the Neolithic of the Levant and the application of confocal microscopy in use-wear analysis. Overall, PATH will enhance our understanding of human-plant interactions by exploring how this relationship changed with the advent of domestic crops, providing new clues on the degree of interdependence between humans and wild plant foods at the brink of hunter-gathering to farming transition in the Near East.
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 physical sciences optics microscopy
- 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)
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.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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.