A5004307324- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies
- Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Historical and Archaeological Studies
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Marine and environmental studies
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Marine animal studies overview
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Marine and fisheries research
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Archaeological Research and Protection
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Paleopathology and ancient diseases
Tallinn University
2016-2025
University of Tartu
1995-2021
Kiel University
2017
University of York
2017
Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen
2017
Monmouth University
2017
Institute of the Estonian Language
2002
Estonian Academy of Sciences
1995
Revisiting the origins of modern horses The domestication was very important in history humankind. However, ancestry and location timing their emergence remain unclear. Gaunitz et al. generated 42 ancient-horse genomes. Their source samples included Botai archaeological site Central Asia, considered to include earliest domesticated horses. Unexpectedly, were ancestors not domestic horses, but rather Przewalski's Thus, contrast current thinking on horse domestication, may have been other,...
Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals 129 genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 which are new. This extensive dataset allows us assess modern legacy past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at far western (Iberia) other eastern...
Abstract Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare 1 . However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence bridling, milking corralling 2–4 at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc 3 Other longstanding candidate regions for domestication, such as Iberia 5 Anatolia 6 , have also recently been challenged. Thus, genetic, geographic temporal origins remained unknown. Here we...
The world's oceans are currently facing major stressors in the form of overexploitation and anthropogenic climate change. Baltic Sea was home to first "industrial" fishery ∼800 y ago targeting herring, a species that is still economically culturally important today. Yet, early origins marine industries long-term ecological consequences historical contemporary fisheries remain debated. Here, we study population dynamics herring evaluate past impacts humans on environment. We combine modern...
Abstract The wild horse Equus ferus was one of the most frequent species Late Pleistocene large ungulate fauna in Eurasia and played an important role subsistence human groups, especially at end Glacial. It is frequently assumed that E. became extinct Europe beginning Holocene because development woodlands loss open habitats. Because its preference for habitats spite adaptability, appearance or disappearance could therefore be a suitable palaeoecological indicator opening primeval woodlands....
Although recent historical ecology studies have extended quantitative knowledge of eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) exploitation back as far the 16th century, origin modern fishery remains obscure. Widespread archaeological evidence for consumption around littoral emerges 13th three centuries before systematic documentation, but it is not clear whether this represents (1) development a substantial fishery, or (2) large-scale importation preserved from elsewhere. To distinguish between these...
Based on geological and archaeological proxies from NW R ussia NE E stonia GIS ‐based modelling, shore displacement during the S tone A ge in N arva‐ L uga K lint B ay area eastern G ulf of F inland was reconstructed. The reconstructed curve displays three regressive phases altic ea history, interrupted by rapid ncylus ake itorina transgressions c . 10.9–10.2 cal. ka BP 8.5–7.3 , respectively. During transgression lake level rose 9 m at an average rate about 13 mm per year, while Litorina...
The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), today a subarctic species with breeding populations in the White Sea, around Jan Mayen Islands and Newfoundland, was common pinniped Baltic Sea during mid- late Holocene. It is puzzling how an ice dependent could breed Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM), it remains unclear for long seals bred when population became extirpated. We combined radiocarbon dating of bones zooarchaeological, palaeoenvironmental stable isotope data to reconstruct occurrence Sea....
Today there are ~56 million horses worldwide, but nearly all of them descendants one stallion.
Abstract Horses have been valued for their diversity of coat colour since prehistoric times; this is especially the case domestication in Caspian steppe ~3,500 BC. Although we can assume that human preferences were not constant, only anecdotal information about how domestic horses influenced by humans. Our results from genotype analyses show a significant increase spotted coats early (Copper Age to Iron Age). In contrast, medieval carried significantly fewer alleles these phenotypes, whereas...
This paper gives a systematized overview of different Narva stage sites in Estonia, describing their artefactual and archaeozoological material, environmental conditions.We demonstrate the diversity settlement types (sites on coastal river estuaries, coast, lagoons, inland banks shores lakes) economy (marine, terrestrial/inland aquatic mixed subsistence) region.A further site-based description pottery is also provided order to exemplify similarities differences this earliest type Eastern...
ABSTRACT The now‐extinct harp seal population that inhabited the Baltic Sea from Mesolithic to Iron Age is an enigma. It occurred outside species' contemporary Arctic range, likely deviated typical migratory behaviour, and experienced body size reductions dramatic fluctuations leading up its extinction. Here we use ancient DNA analyses shed more light on evolutionary history of population, including origin, timing colonisation, diversity factors contributing demise. We generated 49 eight...
The Zvejnieki Stone Age1 complex in northern Latvia includes one of the most significant hunter–fisher–gatherer cemeteries Europe terms both exceptional number individuals buried there and extremely long period use: more than 300 interred over a at least four millennia. New results archaeozoological studies palaeodiet investigations performed on human remains are presented here, together with 18 new radiocarbon dates. It is clear from stable isotope analyses that people were heavily reliant...
The ringed seal ( Pusa hispida) is an early immigrant in the Baltic Basin and has since its arrival experienced substantial changes climate, salinity productivity of Basin. In this paper, we discuss dispersal distribution during different stages Sea relation to past ongoing environmental changes. Subfossil remains around Danish Straits were radiocarbon dated order map species time periods. δ 13 C data used evaluating marine character sequence dates indicates a continuous presence earliest...
Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes Estonian populations and mitochondrial diversity over last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment hypervariable region 115 ancient from 71 sites (c. 1200 BC–AD 1900s), 19 samples Latvia, Russia, Poland Greece (6800 1700), as well 44 modern Kihnu native breed. Our analyses revealed:...
Sheep were among the first domesticated animals to appear in Estonia late Neolithic and became one of most widespread livestock species region from Late Bronze Age onwards. However, origin historical expansion local sheep populations remain poorly understood. Here, we analysed fragments hypervariable D-loop mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; 213 bp) Y-chromosome SRY gene (130 extracted 31 archaeological bones dated approximately 800 BC 1700 AD. The ancient data compared with Finland as well a set...
The growth increments of otoliths and vertebrae plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) derived from a 15th century single depositional event at Raversijde (Belgium) are analysed with the aim reconstructing (a) age distribution population, (b) season capture, (c) rate. Otoliths give slightly different distributions but it is possible to arrive similar seasonality estimations in both structures when information literature our own data monthly captures North Sea taken into account. These modern show...
To better comprehend the dietary practices of past populations in Eastern Baltic region we have created temporally and geographically restricted baselines for time period 200–1800 CE. In this multi-isotopic analysis, report new δ 13 C, 15 N 34 S values 251 faunal bone collagen samples from various archaeological contexts Estonia representing most comprehensive set Iron Age, Medieval Early Modern Period stable isotope to date. The results map out local carbon nitrogen define isotopic ranges...