Human Past Senior Fellow, SCAS.
Professor of Biology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara

Hybrid event.
Zoom Webinar: https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/65802739142 External link.

ABSTRACT:
I will first present archaeogenomic and archaeological evidence from Çatalhöyük, a large Neolithic village in Central Anatolia with apparently egalitarian organisation. By studying genetic kinship ties among 131 Çatalhöyük residents buried inside 35 houses, we find that the composition of individuals buried together changed across six centuries, with close genetic relatedness becoming less common over time, implying changing kinship practices. We also find that burials inside houses were connected mainly through the maternal line and that female subadults received five times more grave goods than males, suggesting widespread female-centered practices in Çatalhöyük, a matter of long speculation. Overall, Çatalhöyük social dynamics appear distinct from those in Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe, where archaeogenomic studies have revealed predominantly male-centered practices and patrilocality. Although archaeogenomic research may improve our understanding of past societies and historical change, archaeogenomics is simultaneously being used to promote conservative and even eugenicist agendas. I will demonstrate how archaeogenomic data are presented, interpreted, and used within gene-centered and essentialist frameworks, from commercial ancestry testing to studies that attempt to explain today's social inequalities by natural selection, published in high-impact science journals. I will finally discuss possible approaches to tackle this problem through collaborations between geneticists and anthropologists.