PRELIMINARY TEST ON DNA EXTRACTED FROM BONES AND TEETH EXCAVATED AT THE TELL DAMIYAH SITE, JORDAN

Abstract

This preliminary investigation aimed to assess the DNA found in human bones and teeth recovered from the archaeological site of Tell Damiyah. The primary objective was to gather data that could contribute to the ongoing archaeological research focused on understanding the migration patterns of ancient societies in the Central Jordan Valley of southern Levant and their interactions with the surrounding regions. The bone and teeth samples, obtained from the Byzantine and Ottoman contexts at Tell Damiyah, were subjected to DNA extraction and analysis. The results revealed that only two teeth samples from the Byzantine period contained viable DNA suitable for extraction. This was due to the suboptimal preservation of DNA in the remaining samples. Consequently, the DNA data obtained from this study were included in the human DNA database of cultural heritage sites in Jordan, enabling comparison and interpretation with future DNA data obtained from comparable samples. As a result, it is recommended to conduct further DNA investigations on bone and teeth samples, particularly those obtained from recently excavated contexts at Tell Damiyah or other related and comparable sites