Edit Content
Click on the Edit Content button to edit/add the content.

DietEvo

The Evolution of Dietary Diversity and the Transition to Agriculture in Europe SFI-IRC Pathway Project


About the ‘Evolution of Dietary Diversity and the Transition to Agriculture in Europe’ Project

The emergence of the Neolithic way of life was one of the significant transitions in European prehistory. The Neolithic way of life introduced a transformative new economy based on a package of the herding of livestock and the growing of cereals from southwest Asia from 8000 cal BP onwards. Settlement evidence, charred seeds and animal bones have been the principal evidence for archaeologists to understand this process of neolithization. Although they have provided rich insights, many questions remains on the breadth of diet. As more scientific methods have become available in recent years, there is scope to provide data on food consumption not previously possible. The Evolution of Dietary Diversity and the Transition to Agriculture in Europe Project is a SFI-IRC Pathway Grant that is applying a combination of dental calculus analysis through microbotanical, palaeoproteomic and organic residue analysis and modelling to better understand how Neolithic economies changed overtime in Europe. It uses case study regions from different periods and ecologies with a particular focus on Ireland.

Project updates

Our team

Dr. Robert C. Power

Dr. Robert C. Power

Principal investigator

Robert leads the Evolution of Dietary Diversity and the Transition to Agriculture in Europe Project. He is also a research fellow at the UCD School of Archaeology and an associate member of the Earth Institute. He specialises in studying microbotanical remains in dental calculus and sediments to understand ancient diets.


Prof. Beatrice Demarchi

Project partner

Beatrice is an associate professor of Archaeology at the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (Metodologie della Ricerca Archeologica) at the University of Turin.

Meaghan Mackie

PhD student

Meaghan is a PhD candidate in the group, who works with palaeoproteomics and organic residue analysis on human dental calculus to explore diet in Neolithic Ireland. She is also developing a workflow to facilitate co-extraction of palaeoproteomics, organic residues and microbotanical remains on archaeological samples.

Prof. Cynthianne Spiteri

Project partner

Cynthianne is a researcher at the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at the University of Turin and an extraordinary professor at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.

Prof. Meriel McClatchie

PROJECT PARTNER

Meriel is an associate professor at UCD School of Archaeology, a member of the Earth Institute and director of the UCD Ancient Foods Research Group, and Founder and Director of UCD Archaeobotany Laboratory.





Prof. Domingo Carlos Salazar Garcia

Project partner

Domingo is a researc professor at the Departament de Prehistòria at the Universitat de València. He is also an Honorary Research Affiliate with the Department of Geological Sciences, at the University of Cape Town.

Why Us?

Best Filming Equipment

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

10 Years of Experience

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Professional Editing

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Our Address

1 Gibfield Park Ave Atherton Manchester M46 0SU