Biomolecular Archaeology: An Introduction

Biomolecular Archaeology investigates how biomolecular evidence (DNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) can be used to address important archaeological questions. Terry Brown and Keri Brown describe this remarkable revolution in the study of historic and prehistoric biological materials, and provide the fundamental tools for studying the preserved or ‘ancient’ biomolecules recovered from human, plant, and animal remains. A clear guide for students and an excellent resource for researchers, Biomolecular Archaeology illustrates a variety of analytical techniques taken from evolutionary biology, such as PCR, proteomics, and image analysis; and from chemistry, such as mass spectrometry and isotope analysis. With this new array of DNA evidence, the authors demonstrate how researchers can recover valuable information about the evolution of human societies and the environments in which we live.

List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. Part I: Biomolecules and How They Are Studied. Chapter 1 What is Biomolecular Archaeology? Chapter 2 DNA. Chapter 3 Proteins. Chapter 4 Lipids. Chapter 5 Carbohydrates. Chapter 6 Stable Isotopes. Part II: Preservation and Decay of Biomolecules in Archaeological Specimens. Chapter 7 Sources of Ancient Biomolecules. Chapter 8 Degradation of Ancient Biomolecules. Chapter 9 The Technical Challenges of Biomolecular Archaeology. Part III: The Applications of Biomolecular Archaeology. Chapter 10 Identifying the Sex of Human Remains. Chapter 11 Identifying the Kinship Relationships of Human Remains. Chapter 12 Studying the Diets of Past People. Chapter 13 Studying the Origins and Spread of Agriculture. Chapter 14 Studying Prehistoric Technology. Chapter 15 Studying Disease in the Past. Chapter 16 Studying the Origins and Migrations of Early Modern Humans. Glossary. Index.

Terry Brown is Professor of Biomolecular Archaeology at The University of Manchester. His publications include Gene Cloning and DNA Analysis: An Introduction  (6th edition, Blackwell Science, 2010) and  Genomes  (3rd edition, 2006). Keri Brown is Honorary Lecturer in Biomolecular Archaeology at the University of Manchester; she taught the M.Sc in Biomolecular Archaeology at Manchester and Sheffield Universities for 10 years. She has published articles in both Italian archaeology and ancient DNA.