Combining Multiple Investigative Approaches to the Geographic Spread of Pastoralism

New laboratory methods for extracting and sequencing ancient DNA preserved in animal bones have led to exciting new genomic perspectives for the study of animal domestication and the deep histories of herd animals. The research group combines paleogenomic methods with archaeological approaches to investigate the history of cattle, sheep, and goats. These animals were first domesticated in the Middle East over 10,000 years ago. They were then introduced to East Asia about 5000-6000 years ago through trans-Eurasian exchange networks. The goal of this research project is to clarify the timing of the adoption of cattle, sheep, and goats, explore their genetic histories, and investigate the long-term cultural and environmental dimensions of expanding pastoralism in the region. Of special interest is the question of whether ancient people experimented with managing wild bovid populations such as the extinct wild aurochs. Because little paleogenomic research has been done on herd animals, this work adds a critical missing dimension to the scholarly understanding of animal domestication. Ancient DNA and animal bones also provide an exciting avenue for introducing students and members of the public to archaeological science. The project offers opportunities for student participation in fieldwork and laboratory research, courses that teach STEM through archaeology, and archaeological public outreach activities. This collaborative research project focuses on animal bones excavated from Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites. The project team conducts comprehensive zooarchaeological analyses of animal bones from sites representing multiple time periods and selects key bone samples for direct radiocarbon dating. Ancient DNA is extracted and sequenced from bone samples, and the research team uses bioinformatics methods to identify evidence of admixture between wild and domesticated bovid populations. Finally, the project team combines the zooarchaeological and ancient DNA data to address social and environmental questions about the emergence of pastoralism. Among the most important of these questions is how the expansion of pastoralism changed native habitats and altered distributions of native animal species. These approaches contribute to ongoing archaeological research on the spread of pastoralism and the environmental impacts of animal management systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.