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DYNAMICS

Dynamics of Change between Islamic and Christian Worlds in Southwestern Iberia (12th–15th centuries) deciphered from Populations, Habits and Material Culture

DYNAMICS in an interdisciplinary project about medieval populations, their habits and material culture, and examines the processes of change in the transition from the Islamic to the Christian world in the Southwest Iberian region, from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The project brings together a multidisciplinary team in the areas of humanities and social sciences (history and archaeology), natural sciences (genetics, biochemistry and geochemistry) and subareas of scientific intersection (bioanthropology and zooarcheology) and focuses on the following topics:

  1. The record of populations and their funerary behaviours involves two types of procedures. One focuses on biological aspects related to the demographic structure, nutritional status, health conditions of the population, and variations due to sex and life cycle. The other aims at cultural aspects related to individual and collective identity, social structure, gender inequalities, and the spatio-temporal organization of funerary areas.
  2. The genetic study of human populations, in particular ancient DNA, intends to bring together the largest collection of ancient human genomes from Garb al-Andalus in order to measure the genetic footprint of the transition from Muslim to Christian dominance over regional human populations (including mixtures and substitutions), as well as assessing kinship lines in the necropolises under study.
  3. The characterization of animal resources will assess preferences and aversions, livestock management systems, and the relationship between human communities and the surrounding ecosystem. Emphasis will be given to cultural and environmental disruption and resilience, indicators of new technologies/strategies in production, operational gestures of consumption, and external contributions arising from continental and maritime commercial networks.
  4. Isotopic analyses will assess the dietary habits and mobility patterns stored in the skeleton during the individual's life. They also contribute to the evaluation of husbandry techniques. Four isotopic systems are used in both human and animal remains: carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N) and sulphur (δ34S) for diet, and strontium (86Sr/87Sr) for mobility.
  5. The study of material culture, in particular ceramics (an abundant material commonly used as a chrono-cultural indicator of contexts), will be based on (a) morphology and style, and (b) chemical-mineralogical analyses to observe production techniques. Special attention will be paid to persistent phenomena, regionalisms, and imports throughout the period in question.