Making kin: The archaeology and genetics of human relationships

Thanks to next generation sequencing (NGS), we can now access ancient biological relationships, including ancestry and parentage, with a startling level of clarity. This has led to recentering of kinship within archaeological discourse. In this paper, we argue that blood and biology are key elements of kin-making only in so far as they are contextualized and made sense of through social relations. We argue that the conceptions of kinship that underpin archaeogenetic studies are the product of a particular historical and political context. Archaeology, with its focus on the material remains of the past, provides opportunities to examine how other forms of material and technological intervention (including ritual, exchange, and the sharing of food) facilitated the creation of kinship links not solely rooted in the human body. Here, we consider the extent to which the social salience of biological relationships identified through ancient DNA analysis can be addressed without imposing contemporary forms of familial structure and gender ideology onto the past.Dank Next Generation Sequencing (NGS - Sequenzierung der nächsten Generation) haben wir jetzt erstaunlich klaren Zugang zu alten biologischen Beziehungen, einschließlich Abstammung und Elternschaft. Verwandtschaft ist dadurch wieder in den Mittelpunkt des archäologischen Diskurses gerückt. In diesem Aufsatz argumentieren wir, dass Blut und Biologie nur insofern Schlüsselelemente der Verwandtschaftsherstellung sind, als sie durch soziale Beziehungen kontextualisiert und mit Sinn gefüllt werden. Wir argumentieren, dass die Vorstellungen von Verwandtschaft, die archäogenetischen Studien zugrunde liegen, das Produkt eines bestimmten historischen und politischen Kontextes sind. Die Archäologie mit ihrem Fokus auf die materiellen Überreste der Vergangenheit bietet die Möglichkeit zu untersuchen, wie andere Formen der materiellen und technologischen Intervention (einschließlich Rituale, Austausch und das Teilen von Nahrung) die Herstellung von Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen ermöglicht haben, die nicht nur im menschlichen Körper verwurzelt waren. Wir betrachten hier, inwieweit die soziale Bedeutung biologischer Beziehungen, die durch Analysen alter DNA identifiziert wurden, adressiert werden kann, ohne der Vergangenheit heutige Formen der Familienstruktur und Geschlechterideologie aufzupressen

Exploring Late Bronze Age systems of bronzework production in Switzerland through Network Science

YesMany hundreds of Bronze Age bronze artefacts are known from excavations in Switzerland, yet the interpretation of production networks from the object find locations remain problematic. It is proposed that the decorative elements used on items, such as ring-jewellery, can be used as elements to assist in the identification of artisanal traditions and ‘schools’, and also regional or community preference and selection of specific designs. Combining the analysis of over 1700 items of ring-jewellery from Switzerland with approaches from network science has facilitated the identification of regional clustering of design elements, comparable with cultural typologies in the area. It is also possible to identify potential instances of cultural differentiation through decoration within the broader regional cultural traditions. The study highlights important facets of bronzework production in the region of Switzerland, while also demonstrating future potential directions which could build upon the European wide dataset of prehistoric bronzework.Primary research conducted under previous funding at University of Basel, Switzerland – SNF gran

Prospects and potential in the archaeology of Bronze Age Britain

This paper argues that although our discipline focuses increasingly on thematic research programmes, period-based approaches remain a valuable way of understanding the particularities of the social practices we study. Different aspects of the archaeological record - including settlement, burial, landscape and material culture - are examined in turn to identify a series of possible questions for future research

The Social Context of Technology: Non-ferrous Metalworking in Later Prehistoric Britain and Ireland

The Social Context of Technology explores non-ferrous metalworking in Britain and Ireland during the Bronze and Iron Ages (c. 2500 BC to 1st century AD). Bronze-working dominates the evidence, though the crafting of other non-ferrous metals – including gold, silver, tin and lead – is also considered. Metalwork has long played a central role in accounts of European later prehistory. Metals were important for making functional tools, and elaborate decorated objects that were symbols of prestige. Metalwork could be treated in special or ritualised ways, by being accumulated in large hoards or placed in rivers or bogs. But who made these objects? Prehistoric smiths have been portrayed by some as prosaic technicians, and by others as mystical figures akin to magicians. They have been seen both as independent, travelling ‘entrepreneurs’, and as the dependents of elite patrons. Hitherto, these competing models have not been tested through a comprehensive assessment of the archaeological evidence for metalworking. This volume fills that gap, with analysis focused on metalworking tools and waste, such as crucibles, moulds, casting debris and smithing implements. The find contexts of these objects are examined, both to identify places where metalworking occurred, and to investigate the cultural practices behind the deposition of metalworking debris. The key questions are: what was the social context of this craft, and what was its ideological significance? How did this vary regionally and change over time? As well as elucidating a key aspect of later prehistoric life in Britain and Ireland, this important examination by leading scholars contributes to broader debates on material culture and the social role of craft