This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
The Middle and Late Bronze Age, a period roughly spanning the 2ndmillennium BC (ca. 2000–1200 BC)... more The Middle and Late Bronze Age, a period roughly spanning the 2ndmillennium BC (ca. 2000–1200 BC) in the Near East, is frequently referred to as the first ‘international age’, characterized by intense and far-reaching contacts between different entities from the eastern Mediterranean to the Near East and beyond. In a large-scale tandem study of stable isotopes and ancient DNA of individuals excavated at Tell Atchana (Alalakh, located in Hatay, Turkey), we explored the role of mobility at the capital of a regional kingdom, named Mukish during the Late Bronze Age, which spanned the Amuq Valley and some areas beyond. We generated strontium and oxygen isotope data from dental enamel for 53 individuals and 77 individuals, respectively, and added ancient DNA data of 10 newly sequenced individuals to a dataset of 27 individuals published in 2020. Additionally, we improved the DNA coverage of one individual from this 2020 dataset. The DNA data revealed a very homogeneous gene pool. This pic...
Highlights d Genome-wide analysis of 110 ancient individuals from the Near East d Gene pools of A... more Highlights d Genome-wide analysis of 110 ancient individuals from the Near East d Gene pools of Anatolia and Caucasus were biologically connected 6500 BCE d Gene flow from neighboring populations in Northern Levant during 3 rd millennium BCE d One individual of likely Central Asian origin in 2 nd millennium BCE Northern Levant
The Middle and Late Bronze Age Near East, a period roughly spanning the second millennium BC (ca.... more The Middle and Late Bronze Age Near East, a period roughly spanning the second millennium BC (ca. 2000-1200 BC), is frequently referred to as the first ‘international age’, characterized by intense and far-reaching contacts between different entities from the eastern Mediterranean to the Near East and beyond. In a large-scale tandem study of stable isotopes and ancient DNA of individuals excavated at Tell Atchana (Alalakh), situated in the northern Levant, we explore the role of mobility at the capital of a regional kingdom. We generated strontium isotope data for 53 individuals, oxygen isotope data for 77 individuals, and added ancient DNA data from 9 new individuals to a recently published dataset of 28 individuals. A dataset like this, from a single site in the Near East, is thus far unparalleled in terms of both its breadth and depth, providing the opportunity to simultaneously obtain an in-depth view of individual mobility and also broader demographic insights into the resident...
Here, we report genome-wide data analyses from 110 ancient Near Eastern individuals spanning the ... more Here, we report genome-wide data analyses from 110 ancient Near Eastern individuals spanning the Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age, a period characterized by intense interregional interactions for the Near East. We find that 6th millennium BCE populations of North/Central Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus shared mixed ancestry on a genetic cline that formed during the Neolithic between Western Anatolia and regions in today’s Southern Caucasus/Zagros. During the Late Chalcolithic and/or the Early Bronze Age, more than half of the Northern Levantine gene pool was replaced, while in the rest of Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus, we document genetic continuity with only transient gene flow. Additionally, we reveal a genetically distinct individual within the Late Bronze Age Northern Levant. Overall, our study uncovers multiple scales of population dynamics through time, from extensive admixture during the Neolithic period to long-distance mobility within the globalized societies of the Late Bronze Age.
This report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of the Wadi Fidan 40 cemetery by th... more This report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of the Wadi Fidan 40 cemetery by the Wadi Fidan Regional Archaeological Project during 1997. The cemetery is a large, enigmatic funerary complex. Previous work suggested a link to the nearby Early Bronze Age site of Wadi Fidan 4. During the 1997 season 62 grave features were excavated and human remains of 87 individuals recovered. The aceramic nature of the cemetery and other finds suggests the possibility of a semi-nomadic population. A short life radiocarbon determination for the cemetery indicates an Iron Age date in the tenth/ninth centuries BG. The implications of this date and the potential significance of this population are discussed in terms of recent findings in southern Jordan.
Abstract: This report presents results of a two month test excavation at Wadi Faynan 1OO, an elev... more Abstract: This report presents results of a two month test excavation at Wadi Faynan 1OO, an eleven-hectare site in the centre of the valley. Four operations at the edges of the site all revealed in situ remains of the late fourth millennium BC (Early Bronze Age I, c. 3500– ...
This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe ... more This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evid...
The Middle and Late Bronze Age, a period roughly spanning the 2ndmillennium BC (ca. 2000–1200 BC)... more The Middle and Late Bronze Age, a period roughly spanning the 2ndmillennium BC (ca. 2000–1200 BC) in the Near East, is frequently referred to as the first ‘international age’, characterized by intense and far-reaching contacts between different entities from the eastern Mediterranean to the Near East and beyond. In a large-scale tandem study of stable isotopes and ancient DNA of individuals excavated at Tell Atchana (Alalakh, located in Hatay, Turkey), we explored the role of mobility at the capital of a regional kingdom, named Mukish during the Late Bronze Age, which spanned the Amuq Valley and some areas beyond. We generated strontium and oxygen isotope data from dental enamel for 53 individuals and 77 individuals, respectively, and added ancient DNA data of 10 newly sequenced individuals to a dataset of 27 individuals published in 2020. Additionally, we improved the DNA coverage of one individual from this 2020 dataset. The DNA data revealed a very homogeneous gene pool. This pic...
Highlights d Genome-wide analysis of 110 ancient individuals from the Near East d Gene pools of A... more Highlights d Genome-wide analysis of 110 ancient individuals from the Near East d Gene pools of Anatolia and Caucasus were biologically connected 6500 BCE d Gene flow from neighboring populations in Northern Levant during 3 rd millennium BCE d One individual of likely Central Asian origin in 2 nd millennium BCE Northern Levant
The Middle and Late Bronze Age Near East, a period roughly spanning the second millennium BC (ca.... more The Middle and Late Bronze Age Near East, a period roughly spanning the second millennium BC (ca. 2000-1200 BC), is frequently referred to as the first ‘international age’, characterized by intense and far-reaching contacts between different entities from the eastern Mediterranean to the Near East and beyond. In a large-scale tandem study of stable isotopes and ancient DNA of individuals excavated at Tell Atchana (Alalakh), situated in the northern Levant, we explore the role of mobility at the capital of a regional kingdom. We generated strontium isotope data for 53 individuals, oxygen isotope data for 77 individuals, and added ancient DNA data from 9 new individuals to a recently published dataset of 28 individuals. A dataset like this, from a single site in the Near East, is thus far unparalleled in terms of both its breadth and depth, providing the opportunity to simultaneously obtain an in-depth view of individual mobility and also broader demographic insights into the resident...
Here, we report genome-wide data analyses from 110 ancient Near Eastern individuals spanning the ... more Here, we report genome-wide data analyses from 110 ancient Near Eastern individuals spanning the Late Neolithic to Late Bronze Age, a period characterized by intense interregional interactions for the Near East. We find that 6th millennium BCE populations of North/Central Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus shared mixed ancestry on a genetic cline that formed during the Neolithic between Western Anatolia and regions in today’s Southern Caucasus/Zagros. During the Late Chalcolithic and/or the Early Bronze Age, more than half of the Northern Levantine gene pool was replaced, while in the rest of Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus, we document genetic continuity with only transient gene flow. Additionally, we reveal a genetically distinct individual within the Late Bronze Age Northern Levant. Overall, our study uncovers multiple scales of population dynamics through time, from extensive admixture during the Neolithic period to long-distance mobility within the globalized societies of the Late Bronze Age.
This report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of the Wadi Fidan 40 cemetery by th... more This report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of the Wadi Fidan 40 cemetery by the Wadi Fidan Regional Archaeological Project during 1997. The cemetery is a large, enigmatic funerary complex. Previous work suggested a link to the nearby Early Bronze Age site of Wadi Fidan 4. During the 1997 season 62 grave features were excavated and human remains of 87 individuals recovered. The aceramic nature of the cemetery and other finds suggests the possibility of a semi-nomadic population. A short life radiocarbon determination for the cemetery indicates an Iron Age date in the tenth/ninth centuries BG. The implications of this date and the potential significance of this population are discussed in terms of recent findings in southern Jordan.
Abstract: This report presents results of a two month test excavation at Wadi Faynan 1OO, an elev... more Abstract: This report presents results of a two month test excavation at Wadi Faynan 1OO, an eleven-hectare site in the centre of the valley. Four operations at the edges of the site all revealed in situ remains of the late fourth millennium BC (Early Bronze Age I, c. 3500– ...
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Papers by Rula Shafiq