Workshop Stockhammer/Milevski

Palaeogenetics and Cultural Archaeological Perspectives on the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze and Early Iron Age

Organizers: Philipp W. Stockhammer (LMU Munich) / Ianir Milevski (Israel Antiquities Authority)

Abstract

The last few years have seen an enormous acceleration of the scale and possibilities of scientific analyses – especially in the field of palaeogenetics – that obtain the power to challenge or confirm traditional archaeological interpretation. Next Generation Sequencing and refined sampling techniques are producing a continuously growing corpus of palaeogenetic data from key sites all over the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze and Early Iron Age. Now, it is time to bring scientists and archaeologists into a fruitful dialogue about the evaluation of these results. Our workshop will present the results of these dialogues by consisting of pairs of presentations on archaeological phenomena (the “Mycenaean”, the “Minoans” and the “Philistines”) and/or key sites (e.g. Arslan Tepe, Alalakh, Ashkelon, Tell es-Safi). Each pair of presenters (one archaeologist and a scientist) will present the relevant archaeological and scientific data as well as the results of their joint evaluation – first from a scientific and afterwards from an archaeological perspective. The results of these dialogues will enable ground-breaking insights into social, cultural vs. genetic diversity, human mobility and biological relationships of Bronze and Early Iron Age populations.

Participants

S. Eisenmann (MPI Jena)
S. C. Fox (Arizona State University)
Y. S. Erdal (Uni Hacettepe)
M. Feldman (MPI Jena)
M. Frangipane (Uni Rome)
L. K. Horowitz (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
T. Ingman (Koç University)
A. Maeir (Bar Ilan University),
J. Maran (Uni Heidelberg)
D. M. Master (Wheaton College)
I. Milevski (Israel Antiquities Authority)
A. Mittnik (MPI Jena)
Y. Nagar (Israel Antiquities Authority)
R. Shafiq (Independent)
E. Skourtanioti (MPI Jena)
P. Smith (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
P. W. Stockhammer (LMU Munich/MPI Jena)
S. Talis (Israel Antiquities Authority)
D. Yegorov (Israel Antiquities Authority)
A. Yener (University of Chicago, Koç University)

Programme

9:00 I. Milevski / P.W. Stockhammer: Introduction to the topic & proposing new paths of integrating archaeology and palaeogenetics
9:15 J. Krause: Introducing the Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean
Topic I: Arslantepe (Chair: J. Krause)
9:30 M. Frangipane: Population Dynamics at late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Arslantepe from an archaeological perspective
10:00 E. Skourtanioti / Y.S. Erdal: Palaeogenetic and Anthropological Perspectives on late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Arslantepe
Topic II: Alalakh (Chair: M. Frangipane)
10:30 A. Yener / T. Ingman: Archaeological Analysis of the Bronze Age Burials from Alalakh
11:00 Coffee Break
11:30 R. Shafiq / S. Eisenmann: Bioarchaeological Perspectives on Middle and Late Bronze Age Burials from Alalakh
Topic III: “Mycenaeans” vs “Minoans” (Chair: A. Yener)
12:00 J. Maran: Questioning “Mycenaeans” and “Minoans” from an archaeological perspective
12:30 A. Mittnik: Genetic Origins of the “Mycenaeans” and the “Minoans”
13:00 Lunch break
Topic IV: “Philistines” (Chair: J. Maran)
14:00 A. Maeir / P.W. Stockhammer: Current archaeological approaches to the Philistines
14:30 Daniel M. Master / Sherry C. Fox: The Philistine Cemetery at Ashkelon
15:00 I. Milevski / D. Yegorov / S.Talis /Y. Nagar / P. Smith / L.K. Horowitz: The Iron Age Cemetery of Tel Erani, Socio-Cultural Diversity in the Southern Levantine Coastal Plain?
15:30 M. Feldman: A genetic study of Bronze and Iron Age populations from present-day Israel
16:00 Coffee break
16:30 Final Discussion (Chairs: P. Stockhammer / I. Milevski)