Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Peer reviewe

Changing people, dining habits and pottery technologies: Tableware productions on the eve of the Ottoman Empire in western Anatolia

International audienceIn western Anatolia, the second half of the thirteenth century corresponds to the arrival of Turkish populations with the creation of the Beyliks, the first Turkish emirates. These Turkish people came with their cultural identities and caused the introduction of new traditions and practices such as those related to food. This is illustrated for example by the use – and the production – of different types of tableware, such as Moulded Wares and Turquoise Glazed Wares. Thanks to archaeological and archaeometric studies, it was possible to identify some production centres of these new types of tableware and to define their techniques of manufacture. The first results show that there were several centres in western Anatolia producing these early Turkish vessels, and that some of these wares, such as the Turquoise Glazed Wares, were produced using new recipes, particularly in the nature and composition of their glazes. New populations, tableware types and techniques of manufacture are correlated, illustrating these new influences

Changing people, dining habits and pottery technologies: Tableware productions on the eve of the Ottoman Empire in western Anatolia

International audienceIn western Anatolia, the second half of the thirteenth century corresponds to the arrival of Turkish populations with the creation of the Beyliks, the first Turkish emirates. These Turkish people came with their cultural identities and caused the introduction of new traditions and practices such as those related to food. This is illustrated for example by the use – and the production – of different types of tableware, such as Moulded Wares and Turquoise Glazed Wares. Thanks to archaeological and archaeometric studies, it was possible to identify some production centres of these new types of tableware and to define their techniques of manufacture. The first results show that there were several centres in western Anatolia producing these early Turkish vessels, and that some of these wares, such as the Turquoise Glazed Wares, were produced using new recipes, particularly in the nature and composition of their glazes. New populations, tableware types and techniques of manufacture are correlated, illustrating these new influences

Changing people, dining habits and pottery technologies: Tableware productions on the eve of the Ottoman Empire in western Anatolia

International audienceIn western Anatolia, the second half of the thirteenth century corresponds to the arrival of Turkish populations with the creation of the Beyliks, the first Turkish emirates. These Turkish people came with their cultural identities and caused the introduction of new traditions and practices such as those related to food. This is illustrated for example by the use – and the production – of different types of tableware, such as Moulded Wares and Turquoise Glazed Wares. Thanks to archaeological and archaeometric studies, it was possible to identify some production centres of these new types of tableware and to define their techniques of manufacture. The first results show that there were several centres in western Anatolia producing these early Turkish vessels, and that some of these wares, such as the Turquoise Glazed Wares, were produced using new recipes, particularly in the nature and composition of their glazes. New populations, tableware types and techniques of manufacture are correlated, illustrating these new influences

Changing people, dining habits and pottery technologies: Tableware productions on the eve of the Ottoman Empire in western Anatolia

International audienceIn western Anatolia, the second half of the thirteenth century corresponds to the arrival of Turkish populations with the creation of the Beyliks, the first Turkish emirates. These Turkish people came with their cultural identities and caused the introduction of new traditions and practices such as those related to food. This is illustrated for example by the use – and the production – of different types of tableware, such as Moulded Wares and Turquoise Glazed Wares. Thanks to archaeological and archaeometric studies, it was possible to identify some production centres of these new types of tableware and to define their techniques of manufacture. The first results show that there were several centres in western Anatolia producing these early Turkish vessels, and that some of these wares, such as the Turquoise Glazed Wares, were produced using new recipes, particularly in the nature and composition of their glazes. New populations, tableware types and techniques of manufacture are correlated, illustrating these new influences

Moulded wares production in the Early Turkish/Beylik period in Western Anatolia: A case study from Ephesus and Miletus

International audienc

Changing people, dining habits and pottery technologies

In western Anatolia, the second half of the thirteenth century corresponds to the arrival of Turkish populations with the creation of the Beyliks, the first Turkish emirates. These Turkish people came with their cultural identities and caused the introduction of new traditions and practices such as those related to food. This is illustrated for example by the use – and the production – of different types of tableware, such as Moulded Wares and Turquoise Glazed Wares. Thanks to archaeological and archaeometric studies, it was possible to identify some production centres of these new types of tableware and to define their techniques of manufacture. The first results show that there were several centres in western Anatolia producing these early Turkish vessels, and that some of these wares, such as the Turquoise Glazed Wares, were produced using new recipes, particularly in the nature and composition of their glazes. New populations, tableware types and techniques of manufacture are correlated, illustrating these new influences

The early Turkish pottery productions in western Anatolia: Provenances, contextualization and techniques

International audienc

Les premières productions de céramiques turques en Anatolie occidentale : provenances, contextualisation et études techniques

International audienceThese last few years, researchers have focused increasingly on remains from pottery workshops discovered on western Anatolian sites and dated from the Late Byzantine and Early Turkish periods (Beylik and later Ottoman). Archaeometric analyses carried out on these ceramics, associated with new archaeological data, enabled to define production groups and thus to observe the appearance of new local types such as Turquoise Glazed Wares, Moulded Wares, as well as the so-called "Miletus Wares".This work, part of a Ph.D. study, presents the analysis of the decoration materials (slip and glaze) covering samples from these productions. The first results enable to define production techniques of these new ceramic types, dated to a period that marks the transition between two major cultures, the Byzantine and then the Ottoman.Ces dernières années, les vestiges d’ateliers de potier mis au jour sur des sites de l’Ouest anatolien et datés de la fin de la période byzantine et du début des premières occupations turques – beylık et ottomane – sont davantage étudiés. Des analyses archéométriques effectuées sur des céramiques qui y ont été découvertes, associées aux nouvelles données archéologiques, ont permis de définir des groupes de production et d’observer ainsi l’apparition de nouveaux types locaux telles les céramiques à glaçure turquoise, à décor moulé ou bien encore les céramiques dites « de Milet ».Le travail réalisé dans le cadre d’une thèse de doctorat (J. Burlot) concerne l’analyse des éléments de décor (engobe et glaçure) des échantillons représentatifs de ces productions. Les résultats obtenus permettent notamment de définir des techniques de fabrication pour ces nouveaux types céramiques datés à une période marquant la transition entre deux grandes cultures, byzantine puis ottomane