Center for Biosystems

Project aim: Understanding of skeletal, nutritive and cultural factors which led to the first demographic increase in humans, during the Neolithic, around 8000 years ago.
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About the project: BIRTH is the first project supported by the European Research Council in Serbia and 
investigate the key biological and cultural mechanisms affecting fertility rates resulting the Neolithic Demographic Transition, the major demographic shift in human evolution. We integrate skeletal markers with micro-nutritional and macro-scaled cultural effects on fertility rates during the Early-Middle Holocene (10000-5000 BC) in the Central Balkans. Human, animal and plant remains are analysed by using methods from bioarchaeological, forensic, chemical sciences in order to: 1) Investigate variability in the pattern of birth rates (number of pregnancies) through histological analysis of irregularities in tooth cementum of women; 2) Determine paleoobstetric and neonatal body characteristics, health status and nutrition through analysis of skeletal remains; 3) Determine nutritional changes during the Early-Middle Holocene; 4) Establish a chronology of the NDT in the Balkans by summed radiocarbon probability distributions; 5) Explore the possible role of culture in driving fertility increases, through analysis of community attitudes to birthing trough investigation of neonate graves and artifact connected to the birthing process. Given that the issues of health and fertility are of utmost importance in the present as they were in the past, the BIRTH project offers new understanding of biocultural mechanisms which led to fertility increase and novel approaches to ancient skeletal heritage, and emphasizes their great potential for modern humanity.
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Tamara Blagojević works as a Research associate at the Center for Biosystems at the BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad. She received a PhD in archaeology in 2022 at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Archaeology. Her field of interest is mostly directed towards research on the European Neolithic, with a focus on southeastern Europe and different topics regarding population dynamics, settlement patterns, and human-environment interaction, as well as the application of different quantitative analyses in archaeology. She has a profound knowledge of the mechanisms of population dynamics and different approaches (both theoretical and methodological) to reconstructing population size through time.

Tamara Blagojević has been involved in several national and international scientific projects, one of them being the ERC-funded project BIRTH: Births, mothers and babies: Prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 cal BC, from 2015 until 2020. She is currently a team member and a work package coordinator on the project MOVE: Moving across the plain: reconstructing the lifetime movements of farming pioneers and their successors during the Neolithic in the Southern Carpathian Basin, funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, program Prisma.

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Tamara Blagojević

Kristina Penezić obtained her diploma in Archaeology from the University of Belgrade and is currently a PhD student at Heidelberg University, Germany. Her interests include Balkan Prehistory, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, settlement archaeology, site-catchment analyses, and employment of physical and chemical analyses and methods in Archaeology. She has a vast experience in both field and lab work, and was awarded several international scholarships for studies abroad (Ljubljana, Bratislava, Frankfurt, Heidelberg). She was involved in several ERC and FP7 projects, both as a scientific collaborator and local partner administrator; did work as a consultant in the field of heritage management for international companies; and is a promoter and communicator of science for general public. She is employed at the BioSense institute and is a research associate at the ERC funded BIRTH project investigating prehistoric lifestyles and biocultural mechanisms which led to prehistoric fertility increase.

Kristina Penezić

He completed his studies in Belgrade, Philosophical faculty, department for Archaeology in 2016. Starting from 2005 he was intensively engaged with fieldwork in archaeology in both research and salvage sector. In 2015 he started providing consultancy services for major infrastructural projects, in domain of protection of cultural heritage in development-contested environments. During 2018 he became a part of ERC funded project Birth: Birth: births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 BC". Was trained in use and deployment of encased ionizing radiation sources (pxrf, uCT). His interests and skills acquired during career are oriented towards several directions: remote and non-invasive survey, 3D scanning and visualization in protection and promotion of cultural and natural heritage, material sciences, GIS systems in archaeology and local (RS) and international legislations concerned with archaeological cultural property. Currently enrolled at PhD programme at the Philosophical faculty, Belgrade University, department of archaeology.

Jugoslav Pendić

Dr Jelena Jovanović is a Senior Researcher at the BioSense Institute. She received her BA (2010), MA (2011), and PhD (2017) degrees from the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia, in the field of Physical Anthropology. Starting from 2013 she has been working as Teaching Assistant, and from 2018 as Assistant Professor at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. She was engaged as a researcher on various national and international projects (such as fp7, bilateral), including H2020 project BIRTH (Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10,000-5000 BC), the first project in Serbia supported by the European Research Council (ERC). Through several internships in LAMPEA laboratory (Aix-Marseille University, France), she was trained in the field of stable isotope analysis, while as a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig (Germany) she gain knowledge in analysis of ancient dental calculus. Jelena’s area of expertise is physical anthropology, with a special emphasis on the reconstruction of diet and health of the Balkans Mesolithic-Neolithic communities. In her research, she is combining macroscopic physical anthropological methods with state-of-the-art methods, such as stable isotopes and chemical analyses of food microparticles entrapped in dental calculus, as a tool for understanding ancient dietary practices and disease. Her research interests also include the role of carbohydrates in the diet of Balkans prehistoric communities and the impact of food on overall wellbeing, health and fertility.

Jelena Jovanović

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 640557. 



Horizon 2020

Animal remains (bones, teeth, antler, horns, scales, shells) from archaeological sites, studied by archaeozoology, offer insights into various aspects of human-animal interrelationships in the past. Archaeozoology aims to reconstruct past environments, diet, subsistence strategies, as well as site seasonality. Within our research we analyse animal bones, stable isotopes and lipid residues in pottery, in order to gain a better understanding of the lifeways of hunting-fishing communities during the Mesolithic and the first farming communities during the Neolithic in the territory of Southeastern Europe.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1228 size-large" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/arheozoologija-1-911x1024.jpg" alt="" width="911" height="1024" />

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Archaeozoological analyses include the taxonomic identification of faunal remains from archaeological sites, the determination of skeletal elements, age and sex of individuals, the measurement of particular elements in order to reconstruct the size, age and sex of animals or determine if they were wild or domestic, the quantification of faunal remains in order to infer the relative importance of various species, and the study of various taphonomic traces on animal bones associated with site formation processes, animal or human activity.

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Stable isotope analysis aid in environmental and diet reconstructions, and, within our research we employ the min order to determine cattle weaning patterns, as possible indicators of cow milk exploitation by humans. Namely, we look into the intra-tooth (m1, m2) variation in nitrogen isotope (δ15N) ratios of dentine collagen. These studies provide new insights into the nature of early cattle husbandry, milk availability and sharing between humans and calves, as well as the management of animals in these processes.

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Lipid residue analyses are employed to identify various foodstuffs and food products prepared in archaeological pottery, by GC analyses for the detection of biomarkers for animal fats, GC/MS analyses for the exact identification of individual compounds and GC/C-IRMS analyses for asociation of identified lipids with actual food products.

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Project:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

Archeozoology

Human bones from archaeological sites provide opportunity to analyse influence of different lifestyles on human health, life-span and bone behaviour. In our research, in a field of Physical anthropology, we combine different techniques: macroscopic, morphometric, isotopic and biomolecular. The main aim is to define bone changes caused by shift in a lifestyle during transitional periods, such as Neolithisation, when humans for the first time experienced fertility increase and started to consume domesticated cereals and milk. We analyse ancient bones, stable isotopes and organic remains trapped in dental calculus.

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Ancient human bones can inform about stature, weight, body mass index, muscle attachments or pathological conditions. By studying ancient bones we can understand how cultural changes influence human biology.

Stable isotope analyses of bone and teeth collagen (C, N, S) give information on the protein intake and its changes along life: the mother milk consumed, the introduction of weaning food and the type of resources eaten by children and mothers. We are focused on understanding changes in dietary habits with Neolithisation and duration of breastfeeding with the introduction of new food stuffs (cereals and milk).

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Calculus contains various plant cells, such as phytoliths or starch grains, which can survive for a long period of time. Research of these cells gives direct evidences on diet and oral health, and on the beginnings of agriculture. We are investigating emergence of cultivated plants (cereals), in the Balkans, around 8000 years ago, which influenced population growth, since humans had for the first time a stable food supply available throughout the year.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1417 size-full" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bs5.jpg" alt="" width="545" height="830" />

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Projects:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

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People of Lepenski Vir: protocol for digitalization of bioarchaeological heritage Ministry of Culture, GA 19-01-92/2018-09

Physical anthropology

Paleodemography can be defined as the reconstruction and study of population size, structure and dynamics, based on various lines and classes of archaeological evidence. There are several major lines of our paleodemographic research, each with its own methods, depending on the class of evidence used for demographic reconstructions:
Skeletal paleodemography is based on the applications of methods of physical anthropology and osteology to human skeletal remains in order to determine individual sex and age. The sex and age estimates are used to reconstruct mortality and fertility patterns of past populations and our research is focused on the investigation of those patterns beween 10000 and 5000 BC.

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Settlement paleodemography is most broadly defined as the reconstruction of population size and dynamics from settlement remains. Our work is orientated toward the population size reconstructions for the Neolithic sites in the Central Balkans by statistical method of Approximate Bayesian computation that simulates population dynamics and retrieves the plausible demographic parameter values by comparing the simulated and empirical settlement data. Another important part of the settlement paleodemography is the reconstruction of settlement patterns. In that context, the understanding of interactions with the environment – the ways different aspects of the biosystem (fertile soil, position of the rivers and forests, etc.) affected the choices of the locations suitable for establishing the settlements of the first farmers, their nature and duration – is of crucial importance.

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The Summed Calibrated Radiocarbon Probability Distributions Method (SCPD) The basic assumption is that the amount of material culture produced by a population is directly proportional to its size and frequency of dates from a particular time period would be directly proportional to the total number of objects from that period, and further – resemble the population size. Over the 200 new radiocarbon dates from the Balkans, obtained within the BIRTH project, shed new light on the dynamics of human populations during one of the most important periods in human history, and contributed to the research of the nature of the Neolithic Demographic Transition.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1415 size-full" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bs4.png" alt="" width="733" height="488" />

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Projects:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

<a href="https://www.ercbirth.com/">https://www.ercbirth.com/</a>

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References:

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Stefanović, S., Porčić, M., Blagojević, T., Jovanović, J. 2020 (in press). Neolithic Settlements in the Central Balkans between 6200 and 5300 calBC: Issues of Duration and Continuity of Occupation. In: Tasić N, Urem-Kotsou D. and Burić M. (ed.) Making Spaces into Places: The North Aegean, theBalkans and Western Anatolia in the Neolithic. BAR International Series.

Porčić M, Blagojević T, Pendić J, Stefanović S. 2020. The timing and tempo of the Neolithic expansion across the Central Balkans in the light of the new radiocarbon evidence. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102528

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Porčić, M., Blagojević, T., Pendić, J. and Stefanović, S. 2020. The Neolithic Demographic Transition in the Central Balkans: population dynamics reconstruction based on new radiocarbon evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0712

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Blagojević T., Porčić M., Penezić K., Stefanović S. 2017. Early Neolithic Population Dynamics in Eastern Balkans and the Great Hungarian Plain. Documenta Praehistorica XLIV, p. 18-33. doi: 10.4312/dp.44.2

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Porčić M, Blagojević T, Stefanović S. 2016. Demography of the Early Neolithic Population in Central Balkans: Population Dynamics Reconstruction Using Summed Radiocarbon Probability Distributions. PloS ONE 11 (8): e0160832. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160832

Paleodemography

Human teeth analysed by dental histology can provide valuable tools for addressing the questions of age, health, diet, metabolism and lifestyles of past people. Our research is focused on the application and development of Tooth Cementum Annulation method (TCA) in the reconstruction of age profile and stressful metabolic events of prehistoric people. Also, we apply histological analysis on primary teeth and first permanent molars in the investigation of the Neonatal Line (NNL) which is the most precise method of age determination in infants and young children.

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Tooth Cementum Annulation is a method of investigation of human teeth and making use of the annual appositional growth of the tooth cementum for a precise age-at-death determination. We use TCA method in the reconstruction of age profile of prehistoric people which provide most accurate age distribution within any past society. Additionally, because stressful metabolic events leave a more pronounced line in tooth cementum, we use this method as a tool of quantifying ancient metabolic stresses. In work we combine data gained from our clinical studies providing us with more knowledge about changes in tooth cementum due to different stressful events, such as pregnancy.

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Neonatal Line (NNL) is formed during birth and is fully visible couple of days after birth. The determination of the NNL is used in forensics as a proof of live birth when the circumstances of birthing are not clear and the statement of stillbirth is suspicious. In our work we use neonatal line to establish precise age-at-death of ancient newborns. Additionally, studies of the enamel of the earliest deciduous teeth can provide an insight into the prenatal development and the perinatal conditions of children of past human populations.

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Projects:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1850 size-large" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/slika2-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" />

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Dental Histology

BIRTH- Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 cal BC

Centar za Biosisteme

Cilj projekta: razumevanje skeletnih, nutritivnih i kulturnih efekata koji su doveli do prve demografske ekspanzije čovečanstva u neolitu, pre oko 8000 godina.
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O projektu: BIRTH je prvi projekat u Srbiji koji je podržao Evropski istraživački savet a u kojem se 
istražuju ključni biološki i kulturni mehanizmi koji su uticali na stope fertiliteta i doveli do neolitske demogafske tranzicije, ključne demografske promene u ljudskoj evoluciji. Projekat integriše istraživanje skeletnih markera sa mikro-nutritivnim i makro-skaliranim kulturnim efektima na stope feritiliteta tokom ranog srednjeg holocena (10000-5000 pre n.e.) na Centralnom Balkanu. Ostaci ljudi, životinja i biljaka analiziraju se metodama iz bioarheoloških, forenzičkih, hemijskih nauka kako bi se: 1) istražila varijabilnost obrzaca fertiliteta (broja trudnoća) kroz histološku analizu nepravilnosti u cementu zuba žena; 2) Analiziraju se paleoobstetričke i neonatalne karakteristike tela, zdravstveni status i ishrana analizom skeletnih ostataka; 3) Utvđuju se promene u ishrani tokom ranog srednjeg holocena koje su mogle imati pozitivan uticaj na porast fertiliteta 4) Uspostavlja se hronologija neolitske demografske tranzicije na Balkanu kroz analizu sumirane distribucije verovatnoće radiokarbonskih datuna; 5) Ispituje se moguća uloga kulture u porastu fertiliteta, kroz analizu odnosa zajednice prema rađanju kroz istraživanje grobova novorođenčadi i artefakata povezanih sa procesom rađanja. S obzirom na to da su pitanja zdravlja i fertilitetai od najveće važnosti u sadašnjosti kao i u prošlosti, projekat BIRTH nudi novo razumevanje biokulturnih mehaniza koji su doveli do porasta fertiliteta i nove pristupe drevnom skeletnom nasleđu, i naglašava njihov veliki potencijal za savremeno čovečanstvo.
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Tamara Blagojević je zaposlena kao naučni saradnik u Centru za biosisteme Instituta BioSens, Univerziteta u Novom Sadu. Doktorirala je 2022. godine na Odeljenju za arheologiju, Filozofskog fakulteta, Univerziteta u Beogradu. Oblast njenog interesovanja pre svega obuhvata istraživanja neolita Evrope, sa posebnim fokusom na jugoistočnu Evropu i različite teme koje se tiču populacione dinamike, obrazaca naseljavnja, odnosa ljudi sa životnom sredinom u prošlosti, kao i na primenu različitih kvantitativnih analiza u arheologiji. Poseduje bogato znanje o mehanizmima populacione dinamike kao i o različitim pristupima (teorijskim i metodološkim) u rekonstrukciji veličine populacija kroz vreme.
Tamara Blagojević učestvovala je na više domaćih i internacionalnih projekata, među kojima je i projekat finansiran od Evropskog istraživačkog saveta (ERC) BIRTH: Births, mothers and babies: Prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 cal BC (u periodu od 2015. do 2020.). Trenutno je član tima i rukovodilac radnog paketa na projektu koji finansira Fond za nauku Republike Srbije, u okviru programa Prizma, MOVE: Moving across the plain: reconstructing the lifetime movements of farming pioneers and their successors during the Neolithic in the Southern Carpathian Basin.

Kristina Penezić je istraživač na Biosens institutu. Diplomirala na Odeljenju za arheologiju, Univerziteta u Beogradu, a trenutno je na doktorskim studijama na Univerzitetu u Hajdelbergu, Nemačka. Njena interesovanja uključuju praistoriju Balkana, rekonstrukciju životne sredine, arheologiju naselja, istraživanja prirodne okoline lokaliteta, kao i primenu fizičko-hemijskih analiza i metoda u arheologiji. Kristina poseduje veliko iskustvo kako u terenskom tako i u laboratorijskom radu, a dobitnica je i nekoliko stipendija za studijske boravke u inostranstvu (Ljubljana, Bratislava, Frankfurt, Hajdelberg). Učestvovala je na nekoliko ERC i FP7 projekata, i kao istraživač i kao administrativni koordinator ispred lokalnog partnera; radila je kao konsultant u oblasti kulturnog nasleđa, i kao promoterka i komunikator naučnih istraživanja široj publici. Bila je istraživač na projektu „Rađanje“ finansiranog od strane Evropskog istraživačkog saveta gde je istraživala praistorijski način života i biokulturne mehanizme koji su doveli do porasta fertiliteta u praistoriji.

Diplomirao je arheologiju na Filozofskom fakultetu u Beogradu, odsek za arheologiju, 2016 godine. Od 2005 godine intenzivno se bavio arheološkom terenskom praksom u istraživačkim i zaštitnim radovima. Godine 2015 je počeo sa pružanjem konsultantskih usluga za velike infrastrukturne projekte, iz domena zaštite kulturnog nasleđa u sredinama predviđenim za razvoj. Tokom 2018 godine je postao član ERC finansiranog projekta “Birth: births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 BC". Prošao je obuku za rukovanje I primenu zatvorenih izvora jonizujućeg zračenja (pxrf, uCT). Njegova interesovanja i veštine stečene tokom karijere su orjentisane u nekoliko celina: daljinska i neinvazivna prospekcija, 3D skeniranje i vizualizacija u zaštiti i promociji kulturne i prirodne baštine, analiza materijala, GIS sistemi u arheologiji i domaće i međunarodno pravo posvećeno arheološkim kulturnim dobrima. Trenutno je upisan na doktorske studije na Filozofskom fakultetu, Univerziteta u Beogradu, odsek arheologija.

Dr Jelena Jovanović je stariji istraživač u Institutu Biosens. Osnovne (2010), master (2011) i doktorske (2017) studije arheologije završila je na Filozofskom fakultetu Univerziteta u Beogradu, u oblasti fizičke antropologije. Od 2013. godine radila je kao doktorand-saradnik u nastavi, a od 2018. kao docent na Odeljenju za Arheologiju, Filozofskog fakulteta, Univerziteta u Beogradu. Bila je angažovana kao istraživač na raznim domaćim i međunarodnim projektima (fp7, bilateralni), uključujući i H2020 projekat BIRTH (Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10,000-5000 BC), prvi projekat u Srbiji koji je podržao Evropski istraživački savet (ERC). Tokom nekoliko naučnih poseta, Jelena je prošla obuku u ekstrakciji kolagena i analizi stabilnih izotopa u LAMPEA laboratoriji, na Eks Marsej Univerzitetu u Francuskoj, a bila je i gostujući istraživač na Maks Plank Institutu za evolucionu antropologiju (Lajpcig, Nemačka) gde je stekla znanje u oblasti analiza zubnog kamenca. Jelenina oblast istraživanja je fizička antropologija, sa posebnim fokusom na rekonstrukciju ishrane i zdravlja mezolitsko-neolitskih stanovnika Balkana. U svojim istraživanjima, ona kombinuje makroskopske fizičko antropološke metode sa biohemijskim metodama, kao što su analize stabilnih izotopa i okamenjenih ćelija hrane u zubnom kamencu radi boljeg razumevanja drevne ishrane i bolesti. Pored toga, njena istraživanja usmerena su i na proučavanje uloge ugljenih hidrata u ishrani neolitskih ljudi Balkana i uticaju hrane na fertilitet i opšti zdravstveni status.

Ovaj projekat je finansiran od strane Evropske Unije, iz programa za Istraživanje i Inovacije Horizont 2020, pod sporazumom o grantu broj 640557. 



Horizont 2020

Životinjski ostaci (kosti, zubi, rogovi, krljušt, ljušture) sa arheoloških nalazišta, koje proučava arheozoologija, pružaju uvid u različite aspekte ljudsko-životinjskih odnosa u prošlosti. Arhaeozoologija se bavi rekonstrukcijom životne sredine, ishrane, strategija opstanka, kao i rekonstrukcijom sezonalnosti. U okviru naših istraživanja, analiziraju se životinjske kosti, stabilni izotopi i lipidi iz keramičkih posuda, u cilju utvrđivanja načina života lovačko-ribolovačkih zajednica tokom mezolita i prvih stočarskih zajednica tokom neolita na prostoru jugoistočne Evrope.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1158 size-large" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/arheozoologija-911x1024.jpg" alt="" width="911" height="1024" />

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Arheozoološke analize obuhvataju taksonomsku odredbu životinjskih ostataka sa arheoloških nalazišta, odredbu skeletnih elemenata, starosti i pola jedinki, merenje određenih elemenata da bi se rekonstruisala veličina, uzrast i pol životinja tj. njihova pripadnost divljim ili domaćim vrstama, kvantifikacija životinjskih ostataka da bi se utvrdila relativna zastupljenost različitih vrsta, kao i proučavanje različitih tafonomskih promena na kostima koje ukazuju na procese formiranja nalazišta, dejstvo drugih životinja ili ljudi.

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Analize stabilnih izotopa koriste se u rekonstrukcijama uslova u životnoj sredini i ishrane, a u okviru naših istraživanja koristimo ih da bismo utvrdili dužinu sisanja kod goveda, kao potencijalni indikator eksploatacije kravljeg mleka od strane ljudi. Na prvom mestu, posmatramo razlike u vrednostima izotopa azota (δ15N) u kolagenu iz sekvencionih uzoraka prvog i drugog molara (m1, m2). Ovakve studije pružaju novi uvid u karakter prvobitnog uzgajanja goveda, dostupnost mleka i njegovo deljenje između ljudi i teladi, i upravljanje životinjama u ovim procesima.

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Analize lipida se koriste da bi se identifikovale različite namirnice i proizvodi pripremani u keramičkim posudama, uz pomoć GC analiza za detekciju biomarkera životinjskih masti, GC/MS analiza za identifikaciju pojedinačnih organskih jedinjenja i GC/C-IRMS analiza za povezivanje identifikovanih lipida sa konkretnim prehrambenim proizvodima.

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Projekat:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

Arheozoologija

Ljudski skeletni ostaci sa arheoloških lokaliteta predstavljaju važan izvor informacija za analizu uticaja različitih načina života na zdravlje i dužinu života, kao i promena na kostima. U našim istraživanjima, na polju Fizičke antropologije, kombinujemo različite analitičke tehnike: makroskopske, morfometrijske, izotopske i biomolekularne. Glavni cilj našeg istraživanja je uočavanje promena na kostima nastalim kao posledica promene načina života tokom tranzicionih procesa u ljudskoj prošlosti kao što je proces Neolitizacije, kada dolazi do značajnog porasta fertiliteta i upotrebe kultivisanih žitarica i mleka. Pročavamo drevne kosti, stabilne izotope i organske ostatke iz zubnog kamenca.

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Drevne ljudske kosti pružaju podatke o visini, težini, indeksu telesne mase, pripojima mišića ili bolestima. Proučavanje kostiju doprinosi boljem razumevanju uticaja kulturnih promena na biologiju čoveka.

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Analiza stabilnih izotopa iz kostiju i zubnog kolagena (C, N, S) informiše nas o proteinskoj ishrani tokom života: o majčinom mleku, uvođenju dohrane, tipu resursa koje su majke i bebe konzumirale. Naša izotopska istraživanja fokusiraju se na razumevanje promena prehrambenih navika tokom Neolitizacije, posebno u dužini dojenja i uvođenja novih namirnica (žitarica i mleka).

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Kamenac sadrži brojne biljne ćelije, kao što su fitoliti, polenova i skrobna zrna, koje mogu da prežive dugo vremena. Istraživanja ovih ćelija pružaju direktne dokaze o ishrani i oralnom zdravlju, i počecima poljoprivrede. Proučavamo pojavu kultivisanih biljaka (žitarica), koje se na prostoru Balkana javljaju pre 8000 godina. Njihova pojava omogućila je ljudima stabilan izvor hrane tokom cele godine, što je direktno uticalo na porast broja ljudi.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1417 size-full" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bs5.jpg" alt="" width="545" height="830" />

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

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Ljudi Lepenskog Vira: protokoli digitalizacije bioarheološkog nasleđa, Ministarstvo kulture, Br. ugovora 19-01-92/2018-09

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Fizička antropologija

Paleodemografija se bavi proučavanjem i rekonstrukcijom veličine i strukture populacije, kao i populacione dinamike, na osnovu različitih klasa arheološkog materijala i podataka. Postoji nekoliko segmenata našeg paleodemografskog istraživanja, a za svaki od njih su karakteristični određeni metodi, u zavisnosti od tipova podataka koji se koriste u paleodemografskoj rekonstrukciji:
Skeletna paleodemografija zasniva se na primeni metoda fizičke antropologije i osteologije u proučavanju ljudskih skeletnih ostataka, sa ciljem da se odrede pol i starost individua. Ocene pola i starosti se koriste pri rekonstrukciji obrazaca mortaliteta i feriliteta, a u slučaju našeg istraživanja, u pitanju je proučavanje obrazaca u periodu između 10000 i 5000 god. p. n. e.

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Naseobinska paleodemografijabavi se rekonstrukcijom veličine populacije i populacione dinamike na osnovu ostataka naselja. Naš rad usmeren je ka rekonstrukciji veličine populacije na ranoneolitskim lokalitetima centralnog Balkana, primenom metoda koji se zasniva na Bajesovoj teoriji (Approximate Bayesian Computation – ABC). Ovaj metod simulira populacionu dinamiku i proizvodi odgovarajuće vrednosti demografskih parametara tako što poredi simulirane, sa empirijskim podacima o naseljima.

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Metod sumiranih distribucija verovatnoće kalibrisanih radiokarbonskih datuma (SCPD) Osnovna pretpostavka metoda jeste da je količina materijalne kulture koju populacija proizvede direktno proporcionalna njenoj veličini te će učestalost datuma iz određenog vremenskog perioda biti direktno proporcionalna broju predmeta iz tog perioda i, dalje - veličini populacije. Novi rezulati, za koje ćemo sakupiti oko 200 novih radiokarbonskih datuma sa ranoneolitskih nalazišta na centralnom Balkanu, bi trebalo da rasvetle pitanja dinamike ljudskih populacija tokom jednog od najznačajnijih perioda ljudske prošlosti, kao i da doprinesu istraživanju neolitske demografske tranzicije.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1415 size-full" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bs4.png" alt="" width="733" height="488" />

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

https://www.ercbirth.com/

Paleodemografija

Primena dentalne hitologije na ljudskim zubima nam omogućava da izučavamo važna pitanja starosti, zdravstvenog stanja, ishrane, metabolizma i načina života drevnih ljudi. Naše istraživanje je fokusirano na primenu i razvoj metode Anulacije zubnog cementa (Tooth Cementum Annulation - TCA) u rekonstrukciji starosnih profila i stresnih metaboličkih događaja kod praistorijskih ljudi. Takođe, primenjujemo histološku analizu na mlečne zube i prve stalne molare pri istraživanju neonatalne linije. Ovo je najprecizniji metod određivanja starosti kod beba i dece.

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Anulacija zubnog cementa (Tooth Cementum Annulation - TCA) je metod istraživanja ljudskih zuba zasnovan na korišćenju godišnjeg apozicionog rasta zubnog cementa radi utvrđivanja precizne starosti u trenutku smrti. Mi koristimo ovaj metod radi rekonstrukcije starosnih profila praistorijskih ljudi koji nam može pružiti najpreciniju distribuciju starosti unutar bilo kog drevnog društva. Takođe, s obzirom da pojedini stresni metabolički događaji mogu ostaviti izraženiju liniju uzubnom cementu, koristimo ovu metodu kao alat za kvantifikovanje drevnog stresa metabolizma. U našem radu kombinujemo podatke dobijene iz naših kliničkih studija koje nam pružaju dodatno znanje o promenama u zubnom cementu koje nastaju kao posledica različitih stresnih događaja, kao što su trudnoće.

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Neonatalna linija se formira tokom porođaja i potpuno je vidljiva nekoliko dana nakon rađanja. Prisustvo neonatalne linije se u forenzici koristi kao dokaz da je dete živo rođeno kada okolnosti porođaja nisu jasne ili postoji sumnja u tvrdnje da je dete mrtvorođeno. U našem radu koristimo neonatalnu liniju da utvrdimo preciznu starost u trenutku smrti drevne novorođenčadi. Takođe, istraživanja gleđi kod mlečnih zuba koji se najranije formiraju mogu da na omoguće podatke o perinatalnom razvoju i perinatalnim uslovima dece u drevnim populacijama.

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Projekat:

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ERC Birth – Birhts, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 – 5000 cal BC, GA 640557, ERC-2014-STG

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-1850 size-large" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/slika2-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" />

BIRTH- Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 cal BC

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