British Archaeology

From the editor

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In this issue we report a major new study of ancient dna obtained from excavated human remains. The era is a significan­t one in Britain’s history, when farming first arrived and hunter-gatherers with millennia of their own antiquity were confronted with fundamenta­l choices.

Applying ancient genetics to the past is still a new enterprise. It began with individual­s, one in particular – Richard iii – drawing huge public interest (feature May/Jun 2013/130). In 2016 we covered four separate adna projects which focused on 23 Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon people (Nov/Dec 2016/151). Now whole population­s are targeted. Last year we showed how the adna of 155 individual­s revealed a dramatic change associated with the arrival of Beaker artefacts and values (May/Jun 2018/160). More revelation­s are to come; you can read about early insights from Viking Age adna in this issue’s News.

Genetics can surprise us with previously undocument­ed genealogie­s and population changes. But only archaeolog­y can reveal the lives and motivation­s behind events, and the impacts on culture and technology. Science and excavation make a powerful team. In revolution­ary times, British Archaeolog­y will be here to guide you.

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