Center for the Human Past
Lectures
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SCAS Seminar: Echoes of Preliterate Voices on the Shores of the Baltic Sea, with Anthony Jakob
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Read more →: SCAS Seminar: Echoes of Preliterate Voices on the Shores of the Baltic Sea, with Anthony JakobAbstract When people think of their ancestry, they are often just as concerned with the origins of their linguistic and cultural identity as they are with their genetic history. And while modern advances in ancient DNA have dramatically improved our understanding of prehistoric population movements, genes do not themselves carry language. The fields of population…
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Mini-Seminar: Biomolecular perspectives on Corded Ware subsistence: integrating isotopic, proteomic and lipid evidence in the context of steppe-derived economies, with Łukasz Pospieszny
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Read more →: Mini-Seminar: Biomolecular perspectives on Corded Ware subsistence: integrating isotopic, proteomic and lipid evidence in the context of steppe-derived economies, with Łukasz PospiesznyAbstract Recent advances in biomolecular archaeology have transformed our understanding of prehistoric subsistence strategies, yet their implications for broader questions of mobility, environment and language dispersal remain insufficiently integrated. This presentation explores dietary practices among Corded Ware populations through a combination of stable isotope analysis, palaeoproteomics and organic residue analysis of ceramics. Stable isotope data…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar with Kristian Kristiansen
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar with Kristian KristiansenTitle & abstract- TBA Kristian Kristiansen – an interdisciplinary researcher, professor of archaeology at the Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, and an affiliate professor at Globe Institute, Lundbeck Centre for Geogenetics, Copenhagen University.
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar with Gwenna Breton
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar with Gwenna BretonTitle & Abstract TBA Gwenna Breton is a geneticist and bioinformatician at the University of Gothenburg.
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Talks of the Past open seminar: From Phonology to Phylogeny: Inferring Language Trees from Cognate Word Forms
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Read more →: Talks of the Past open seminar: From Phonology to Phylogeny: Inferring Language Trees from Cognate Word FormsAbstract Linguistic phylogenies are commonly inferred from abstract cognate classifications that encode relationships among lexemes. Although widespread, this practice has well-recognised limitations: it discards phylogenetic signal contained in segmental word forms, restricts the range of evolutionary questions that can be addressed, and treats cognacy judgments, which are hypotheses in their own right, as observed data.…
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Higher Seminar in Baltic Studies, Stockholm University, with Anthony Jakob
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Read more →: Higher Seminar in Baltic Studies, Stockholm University, with Anthony JakobThe Higher Seminar in Baltic Languages with Signe Rirdance (SU) and Anthony Jakob (SCAS). The seminar is split into two sessions (with a coffee break in between): 14:00-15:30 – Signe Rirdance (SU): “Deciphering Getzel’s hand in early Latvian: AI and I” 16:00-17:30 – Anthony Jakob (SCAS): “Linguistic ghosts and zombies in modern Standard Lithuanian” Language:…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar: The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe 5000 Years Ago, speaker Volker Heyd
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar: The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe 5000 Years Ago, speaker Volker HeydAbstract This lecture examines the westward migration of Yamnaya populations from the Pontic-Caspian steppes into southeastern Europe around 3100–3000 BCE, reaching as far as the Tisza region in present-day Hungary. Archaeological evidence, particularly distinctive kurgan burials with standardised funerary practices, marks their presence across regions such as Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Despite the apparent…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Cultural Creolization in Ostrobothnia, Finland: An Interdisciplinary View on Burials, Exchange, and Social Identity, speaker Anna Wessman
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Cultural Creolization in Ostrobothnia, Finland: An Interdisciplinary View on Burials, Exchange, and Social Identity, speaker Anna WessmanThe seminar was canceled due to unexpected events out of anyone’s control. We apologize for inconvenience. Abstract This talk explores a remarkable Iron Age burial from Pukkila in western Finland, dating to around AD 700, where a cremated individual was laid to rest in a boat alongside weapons, ritual objects, and artefacts from across Scandinavia,…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Talking about food in prehistory: Linguistic evidence for dietary practices in Indo-European, speaker Julia Sturm
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Talking about food in prehistory: Linguistic evidence for dietary practices in Indo-European, speaker Julia SturmAbstract What did prehistoric peoples eat? This question can be approached through various scholarly disciplines, including historical linguistics. More specifically, historical linguistics methodologies are tools for addressing the question of what ancient peoples discussed when they spoke about food, including sourcing, preparing, consuming, and sacrificing it. This talk will examine linguistic evidence for the shared…
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Human Past Interdisciplinary Retreat
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Read more →: Human Past Interdisciplinary RetreatThe main goal of the retreat is to strengthen collaboration between different disciplines and to learn about each other’s research through presentations and discussions. We hope this retreat will lay a solid foundation for future joint interdisciplinary projects and scientific publications. The day plan includes short(-ish) talks, primarily by junior researchers and PhD students, as…
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Open lecture: Jakten på ordens ursprung, with Jenny Larsson
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Read more →: Open lecture: Jakten på ordens ursprung, with Jenny LarssonJakten på ordens ursprung (lecture in Swedish) Var kommer våra ord ifrån och vad kan de avslöja om människans förhistoria? Språkhistorikern Jenny Larsson tar oss med på en resa bakåt i tiden, där ord och språk fungerar som ledtrådar till hur människor levde, tänkte och rörde sig för tusentals år sedan. Genom att förena språkliga,…