Human Populations – Origins and Movement

Fernández‐Domínguez, Eva

Abstract

Rather than presenting a detailed account on the origins and main migrations of humankind, this chapter provides a critical overview of the role of ancient DNA (aDNA) in deciphering such human population movements, paying special attention to how the results have been integrated within archaeology. It focuses on how the technical innovations in the aDNA field have propelled the knowledge on human population movement. The chapter discusses the main population movements that have shaped the genetic background of modern Europeans and how these new results have been assimilated in the field of archaeology. Recent technical advances in the field of aDNA have dramatically changed the way scientists in the field currently approach the study of human variability. Before embarking in the discussion of how aDNA can be used to trace human migration, it is important to address the concepts of population and migration , and how they are understood by human population geneticists and archaeologists.

Citation

Fernández‐Domínguez, E. (2023). Human Populations – Origins and Movement. In M. Pollard, R. A. Armitage, & C. A. Makarewicz (Eds.), Handbook of Archaeological Sciences (629-645). (2nd ed.). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119592112.ch31

• Online Publication Date: Feb 10, 2023
• Publication Date: Mar 24, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 24, 2024
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 629-645
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Book Title: Handbook of Archaeological Sciences
• ISBN: 9781119592044
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119592112.ch31
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2982800