In light of the ongoing acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence that testify to the immed... more In light of the ongoing acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence that testify to the immediate need for systemic social change, the new TAG 2021 theme will focus on issues of social and racial justice in the theory, method, and practice of archaeology.
Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about t... more Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
The Iron Age saw the expansion of Phoenician and Greek colonies across the Mediterranean and the ... more The Iron Age saw the expansion of Phoenician and Greek colonies across the Mediterranean and the rise of Carthage as the major maritime power of the region. These events were facilitated by the ease of long-distance travel following major advances in seafaring. We know from the archaeological record that trade goods and materials were moving across great distances in unprecedented quantities, but it is unclear how these patterns correlate with human mobility. To investigate population mobility and interactions directly, we sequenced the genomes of 30 ancient individuals from Carthaginian and Etruscan port cities around the central Mediterranean, in Tunisia, Sardinia, and central Italy. At all three locations, there is a meaningful contribution of autochthonous populations (from Bronze Age North Africa, Sardinia, and Italy, respectively), as well as highly heterogeneous ancestry including many individuals with ancestry from other parts of the Mediterranean region. These results highlight both the role of autochthonous populations and the extreme interconnectedness of populations in the Iron Age Mediterranean. By studying these trans-Mediterranean neighbors together, we explore the complex interplay between local continuity and mobility that shaped the Iron Age societies of the central Mediterranean.
COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial market... more COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial markets causing significant economic and social hardship. As with any emerging disease, pharmaceutical interventions required time, emphasizing the initial and continuing need for non-pharmaceutical interventions. We highlight the role of anthropological and historical perspectives to inform approaches to non-pharmaceutical interventions for future preparedness. The National Academy of Medicine, a not-for-profit, non-governmental US-based medical watchdog organization, published a key document early in the COVID-19 pandemic which points to inadequate quarantine and containment infrastructure as a significant obstacle to an effective pandemic response. In considering how to implement effective quarantine policies and infrastructure, we argue that it is essential to take a longitudinal approach to assess interventions that have been effective in past pandemics while simultaneously addressing and eliminating the negative socio-historical legacies of ineffective quarantine practices. Our overview reinforces the need for social equity and compassion when implementing containment.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed d... more Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000-3,000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed in the historical period onward (3,000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia, France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. Around 8% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring the geographic map. We ...
Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about t... more Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial market... more COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial markets causing significant economic and social hardship. As with any emerging disease, pharmaceutical interventions required time, emphasizing the initial and continuing need for non-pharmaceutical interventions. We highlight the role of anthropological and historical perspectives to inform approaches to non-pharmaceutical interventions for future preparedness. The National Academy of Medicine, a not-for-profit, non-governmental US-based medical watchdog organization, published a key document early in the COVID-19 pandemic which points to inadequate quarantine and containment infrastructure as a significant obstacle to an effective pandemic response. In considering how to implement effective quarantine policies and infrastructure, we argue that it is essential to take a longitudinal approach to assess interventions that have been effective in past pandemics while simultaneously addressing and...
Waxy mutants, in which endosperm starch contains $100% amylopectin rather than the wild-type comp... more Waxy mutants, in which endosperm starch contains $100% amylopectin rather than the wild-type composition of $70% amylopectin and $30% amylose, occur in many domesticated cereals. The cultivation of waxy varieties is concentrated in east Asia, where there is a culinary preference for glutinous-textured foods that may have developed from ancient food processing traditions. The waxy phenotype results from mutations in the GBSSI gene, which catalyzes amylose synthesis. Broomcorn or proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is one of the world's oldest cultivated cereals, which spread across Eurasia early in prehistory. Recent phylogeographic analysis has shown strong genetic structuring that likely reflects ancient expansion patterns. Broomcorn millet is highly unusual in being an allotetraploid cereal with fully waxy varieties. Previous work characterized two homeologous GBSSI loci, with multiple alleles at each, but could not determine whether both loci contributed to GBSSI function. We first tested the relative contribution of the two GBSSI loci to amylose synthesis and second tested the association between GBSSI alleles and phylogeographic structure inferred from simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We evaluated the phenotype of all known GBSSI genotypes in broomcorn millet by assaying starch composition and protein function. The results showed that the GBSSI-S locus is the major locus controlling endosperm amylose content, and the GBSSI-L locus has strongly reduced synthesis capacity. We genotyped 178 individuals from landraces from across Eurasia for the 2 GBSSI and 16 SSR loci and analyzed phylogeographic structuring and the geographic and phylogenetic distribution of GBSSI alleles. We found that GBSSI alleles have distinct spatial distributions and strong associations with particular genetic clusters defined by SSRs. The combination of alleles that results in a partially waxy phenotype does not exist in landrace populations. Our data suggest that broomcorn millet is a system in the process of becoming diploidized for the GBSSI locus responsible for grain amylose. Mutant alleles show some exchange between genetic groups, which was favored by selection for the waxy phenotype in particular regions. Partially waxy phenotypes were probably selected against-this unexpected finding shows that better understanding is needed of the human biology of this phenomenon that distinguishes cereal use in eastern and western cultures.
ABSTRACT Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a vegetatively propagated, starchy root crop cultivated in... more ABSTRACT Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a vegetatively propagated, starchy root crop cultivated in tropical to temperate regions of the world. Wild forms of taro are distributed from India to southern China, Australia and Melanesia. They are widely known wild food or fodder sources, including in Aboriginal Australia, so it is unclear to what extent wild populations have been dispersed by humans, or naturally via insect-borne pollen and seed dispersal by birds or other animals. In Australia, pollinators and seedlings of taro have not been reported, and a key question is whether or not the wild taro there can breed naturally. Here we report field observations of flowering, fruit set, and an insect pollinator (Colocasiomyia, pupal stage), in a historically significant wild taro population at Hopevale in northern Queensland. The observed pupa is congeneric with two pollinating fly species that have a highly specialised, probably coevolutionary, relationship with taro in neighbouring Papua New Guinea. The field observations suggested the possibility of natural breeding at Hopevale. By analyzing microsatellite diversity within the Hopevale taro population, we found high genetic variation overall, indicative of multiple founding individuals. Two sublocations showed low genetic diversity and strongly negative inbreeding coefficients, consistent with predominantly clonal (vegetative) reproduction. A third sublocation showed high genetic diversity and a weakly negative inbreeding coefficient, indicative of sexual reproduction. This difference between sublocations may relate to microenvironmental conditions that favour seedling establishment in some parts of the site. The data constitute the first demonstration that natural breeding and population spread occurs in Australian wild taro.
With recent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika and rising rates of chronic d... more With recent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika and rising rates of chronic disease such as asthma and obesity worldwide, there has been a growing awareness of the urgency to develop novel approaches to public health and the investigation of disease. As biomedical and genomic research generate new data, knowledge, and methods of treatment, many questions remain about the evolution, proliferation and history of a number of conditions of global health concern. Archaeology, as both a methodological approach and an analytical framework, has a unique potential to contribute to these efforts. In particular, collaborations with the biological and ecological sciences can produce a finer-grained narrative of how specific diseases and health conditions proliferated in the past, and the ways in which humans have responded to these issues. When combined with social theory and history, these approaches offer a historical perspective that can inform preventative and treatment strategies for the future. This session aims to showcase archaeological research into issues related to global health and medicine to date, and to offer a creative space for archaeologists to shape discourse that will drive future investigations.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
In light of the ongoing acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence that testify to the immed... more In light of the ongoing acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence that testify to the immediate need for systemic social change, the new TAG 2021 theme will focus on issues of social and racial justice in the theory, method, and practice of archaeology.
Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about t... more Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
The Iron Age saw the expansion of Phoenician and Greek colonies across the Mediterranean and the ... more The Iron Age saw the expansion of Phoenician and Greek colonies across the Mediterranean and the rise of Carthage as the major maritime power of the region. These events were facilitated by the ease of long-distance travel following major advances in seafaring. We know from the archaeological record that trade goods and materials were moving across great distances in unprecedented quantities, but it is unclear how these patterns correlate with human mobility. To investigate population mobility and interactions directly, we sequenced the genomes of 30 ancient individuals from Carthaginian and Etruscan port cities around the central Mediterranean, in Tunisia, Sardinia, and central Italy. At all three locations, there is a meaningful contribution of autochthonous populations (from Bronze Age North Africa, Sardinia, and Italy, respectively), as well as highly heterogeneous ancestry including many individuals with ancestry from other parts of the Mediterranean region. These results highlight both the role of autochthonous populations and the extreme interconnectedness of populations in the Iron Age Mediterranean. By studying these trans-Mediterranean neighbors together, we explore the complex interplay between local continuity and mobility that shaped the Iron Age societies of the central Mediterranean.
COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial market... more COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial markets causing significant economic and social hardship. As with any emerging disease, pharmaceutical interventions required time, emphasizing the initial and continuing need for non-pharmaceutical interventions. We highlight the role of anthropological and historical perspectives to inform approaches to non-pharmaceutical interventions for future preparedness. The National Academy of Medicine, a not-for-profit, non-governmental US-based medical watchdog organization, published a key document early in the COVID-19 pandemic which points to inadequate quarantine and containment infrastructure as a significant obstacle to an effective pandemic response. In considering how to implement effective quarantine policies and infrastructure, we argue that it is essential to take a longitudinal approach to assess interventions that have been effective in past pandemics while simultaneously addressing and eliminating the negative socio-historical legacies of ineffective quarantine practices. Our overview reinforces the need for social equity and compassion when implementing containment.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed d... more Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000-3,000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed in the historical period onward (3,000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia, France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. Around 8% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring the geographic map. We ...
Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about t... more Ancient Rome was the capital of an empire of ~70 million inhabitants, but little is known about the genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial market... more COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis, while severely impacting global financial markets causing significant economic and social hardship. As with any emerging disease, pharmaceutical interventions required time, emphasizing the initial and continuing need for non-pharmaceutical interventions. We highlight the role of anthropological and historical perspectives to inform approaches to non-pharmaceutical interventions for future preparedness. The National Academy of Medicine, a not-for-profit, non-governmental US-based medical watchdog organization, published a key document early in the COVID-19 pandemic which points to inadequate quarantine and containment infrastructure as a significant obstacle to an effective pandemic response. In considering how to implement effective quarantine policies and infrastructure, we argue that it is essential to take a longitudinal approach to assess interventions that have been effective in past pandemics while simultaneously addressing and...
Waxy mutants, in which endosperm starch contains $100% amylopectin rather than the wild-type comp... more Waxy mutants, in which endosperm starch contains $100% amylopectin rather than the wild-type composition of $70% amylopectin and $30% amylose, occur in many domesticated cereals. The cultivation of waxy varieties is concentrated in east Asia, where there is a culinary preference for glutinous-textured foods that may have developed from ancient food processing traditions. The waxy phenotype results from mutations in the GBSSI gene, which catalyzes amylose synthesis. Broomcorn or proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is one of the world's oldest cultivated cereals, which spread across Eurasia early in prehistory. Recent phylogeographic analysis has shown strong genetic structuring that likely reflects ancient expansion patterns. Broomcorn millet is highly unusual in being an allotetraploid cereal with fully waxy varieties. Previous work characterized two homeologous GBSSI loci, with multiple alleles at each, but could not determine whether both loci contributed to GBSSI function. We first tested the relative contribution of the two GBSSI loci to amylose synthesis and second tested the association between GBSSI alleles and phylogeographic structure inferred from simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We evaluated the phenotype of all known GBSSI genotypes in broomcorn millet by assaying starch composition and protein function. The results showed that the GBSSI-S locus is the major locus controlling endosperm amylose content, and the GBSSI-L locus has strongly reduced synthesis capacity. We genotyped 178 individuals from landraces from across Eurasia for the 2 GBSSI and 16 SSR loci and analyzed phylogeographic structuring and the geographic and phylogenetic distribution of GBSSI alleles. We found that GBSSI alleles have distinct spatial distributions and strong associations with particular genetic clusters defined by SSRs. The combination of alleles that results in a partially waxy phenotype does not exist in landrace populations. Our data suggest that broomcorn millet is a system in the process of becoming diploidized for the GBSSI locus responsible for grain amylose. Mutant alleles show some exchange between genetic groups, which was favored by selection for the waxy phenotype in particular regions. Partially waxy phenotypes were probably selected against-this unexpected finding shows that better understanding is needed of the human biology of this phenomenon that distinguishes cereal use in eastern and western cultures.
ABSTRACT Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a vegetatively propagated, starchy root crop cultivated in... more ABSTRACT Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a vegetatively propagated, starchy root crop cultivated in tropical to temperate regions of the world. Wild forms of taro are distributed from India to southern China, Australia and Melanesia. They are widely known wild food or fodder sources, including in Aboriginal Australia, so it is unclear to what extent wild populations have been dispersed by humans, or naturally via insect-borne pollen and seed dispersal by birds or other animals. In Australia, pollinators and seedlings of taro have not been reported, and a key question is whether or not the wild taro there can breed naturally. Here we report field observations of flowering, fruit set, and an insect pollinator (Colocasiomyia, pupal stage), in a historically significant wild taro population at Hopevale in northern Queensland. The observed pupa is congeneric with two pollinating fly species that have a highly specialised, probably coevolutionary, relationship with taro in neighbouring Papua New Guinea. The field observations suggested the possibility of natural breeding at Hopevale. By analyzing microsatellite diversity within the Hopevale taro population, we found high genetic variation overall, indicative of multiple founding individuals. Two sublocations showed low genetic diversity and strongly negative inbreeding coefficients, consistent with predominantly clonal (vegetative) reproduction. A third sublocation showed high genetic diversity and a weakly negative inbreeding coefficient, indicative of sexual reproduction. This difference between sublocations may relate to microenvironmental conditions that favour seedling establishment in some parts of the site. The data constitute the first demonstration that natural breeding and population spread occurs in Australian wild taro.
With recent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika and rising rates of chronic d... more With recent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika and rising rates of chronic disease such as asthma and obesity worldwide, there has been a growing awareness of the urgency to develop novel approaches to public health and the investigation of disease. As biomedical and genomic research generate new data, knowledge, and methods of treatment, many questions remain about the evolution, proliferation and history of a number of conditions of global health concern. Archaeology, as both a methodological approach and an analytical framework, has a unique potential to contribute to these efforts. In particular, collaborations with the biological and ecological sciences can produce a finer-grained narrative of how specific diseases and health conditions proliferated in the past, and the ways in which humans have responded to these issues. When combined with social theory and history, these approaches offer a historical perspective that can inform preventative and treatment strategies for the future. This session aims to showcase archaeological research into issues related to global health and medicine to date, and to offer a creative space for archaeologists to shape discourse that will drive future investigations.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in... more Background: Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (,8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation.
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Papers by Hannah Moots
genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around
Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with
the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic
composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial
period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in
genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome
and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the
Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.
genetics of ancient Romans. Here we present 127 genomes from 29 archaeological sites in and around
Rome, spanning the past 12,000 years. We observe two major prehistoric ancestry transitions: one with
the introduction of farming and another prior to the Iron Age. By the founding of Rome, the genetic
composition of the region approximated that of modern Mediterranean populations. During the Imperial
period, Rome’s population received net immigration from the Near East, followed by an increase in
genetic contributions from Europe. These ancestry shifts mirrored the geopolitical affiliations of Rome
and were accompanied by marked interindividual diversity, reflecting gene flow from across the
Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa.