RESEARCH

Joint research

 

In the Budapest/Mannheim team, led by PI Tivadar Vida, researchers of various scientific fields (archaeology, paleogenomics, isotope chemistry, physical anthropology, etc.) coordinated by the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at ELTE work together from the Institute of Archaeogenomics from the RCH ELRN, the Curt-Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry (CEZA) in Mannheim and the Department of Anthropology of the Hungarian Natural History Museum as beneficiary partners of the HistoGenes ERC SyG project.

The team’s tasks are complex. It is responsible for archaeological and isotope analysis, database construction (Airtable), sampling, and genetic analysis of some sites. Archaeologists and anthropologists jointly developed the genetic and isotopic sampling strategy according to the research objectives, coordinated with local museums and conducted the sampling in various collections. It is also responsible for maintaining contact and organising regional research groups both in Hungary and in the involved neighbouring countries (Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia). These are led by senior researchers: Tina Milavec (University of Ljubljana, Department of Archaeology), Vujadin Ivanišević (Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade), Falko Daim (University of Vienna, Institute of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna), Lumír Polaček (Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno), Matej Ruttkay (Institute of Archaeology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra), Szilárd Sándor Gál (Mureş County Museum, Târgu Mureş).

The archaeological evaluations are being coordinated by archaeologists Tivadar Vida, István Koncz, Zsófia Rácz, Levente Samu in the Institute for Archaeological Sciences, while the sampling, the preparation of the samples, and some genetic analyses are being carried out in the Institute of Archaeogenomics by a team led by Balázs Gusztáv Mende and Anna Szécsényi-Nagy.

The physical anthropological research is carried out by Olga Spekker, who also conducts pathological research (leprosy, tuberculosis). Some cemeteries are investigated by Tamás Hajdu and Tamás Szeniczey from the Department of Biological Anthropology at ELTE.

Norbert Faragó is evaluating the Sr isotope data. The strontium measurements are carried out by Petrus Le Roux of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa. Measurements and evaluation of the C and N isotopes related to nutrition and radiocarbon dating are carried out at CEZA Mannheim by Corina Knipper and Ronny Friedrich.