International Round Table "Archaeology and Paleogenetics: Current State and Prospects for Interaction"
29 Sep 2024
On September 28, 2024, the Margulan Institute of Archaeology hosted an international round table titled "Archaeology and Paleogenetics: Current State and Prospects for Cooperation." The event was organized within the framework of the Program-Targeted Financing project by the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan: "The Hunnic-Sarmatian Era in the History of Kazakhstan: Interdisciplinary Research, Analysis, and Reconstruction."
The round table brought together domestic specialists—archaeologists and geneticists from the Margulan Institute of Archaeology, the Institute of Genetics and Physiology, the National Center for Biotechnology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nazarbayev University, E.A. Buketov Karaganda University, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Toraighyrov University, and the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. International colleagues from the University of Texas (USA), the University of Arkansas (USA), the Max Planck Institute (Germany), and the German Archaeological Institute also participated.
During the meeting, various aspects of the interaction between archaeology and paleogenetics were discussed, including modern technologies for analyzing ancient DNA, interpreting the obtained data in the context of archaeological findings, and issues related to preserving biological materials for future research. Participants explored the prospects of an interdisciplinary approach to studying ancient populations, features of migration processes, ethnogenesis, and cultural interactions of ancient peoples who inhabited the territory of Kazakhstan.
Special attention was given to the possibilities of integrating the latest paleogenetic methods into field archaeological practices, as well as to matters concerning joint international projects and the exchange of expertise among scientists. As a result of the round table, participants formulated concrete recommendations for future research and agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of archaeogenetic and archaeological studies.