ArchaeoCaf‪é‬ ArchaeoCafé

In this episode I talk with Claudio Ottoni about the origin and history of domestic cats.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-234-ottoni/





About Claudio Ottoni



Dr. Ottoni is a professor at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata". His research interests are in biomolecular archaeology and the study of ancient DNA as a tool to reconstruct the past of human and animal populations. In particular, much of his research has focused on the history of cat-human interactions and particularly through the use of palaeogenetics. He has previously lead research projects at the Center for Archaeological Sciences (CAS) of the KU Leuven University, in Belgium, the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) of the University of Oslo, in Norway, and the Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory (DANTE) of the Sapienza University of Rome, in Italy. Dr. Ottoni is currently the head of the FELIX project, funded by the European Research Council. 

Web:
https://uniroma.academia.edu/ClaudioOttoni
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudio-Ottoni
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0u2SiNQAAAAJ
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8870-1589





Some useful terminology and links



FELIX project
This project analyses cats from 10,000 years ago until the 19th century from archaeological sites in Europe, the Near and Middle East, and North Africa to gain insights into the cat-human relationship. By reconstructing the genomes and the dietary habits of ancient cats, the objective of the project is to reconstruct the unique biological and ecological features that shaped cat domestication, and the dispersal of domestic cats across the globe.
https://www.ercfelix.com/project/



Domestic cat (Felis catus)
A domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat



Hierakonpolis or Nekhen
The religious and political capital of Upper Egypt at the end of prehistoric Egypt (c. 3200–3100 BCE) and probably during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3100–2686 BCE).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekhen



Shillourokambos
A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) site near Parekklisia, in southern Cyprus occupied from the end of the 9th to the second half of the 8th millennium BCE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillourokambos





Selected reading



The Dispersal of the Domestic Cat: Paleogenetic and Zooarcheological Evidence
by Claudio Ottoni and Wim Van Neer
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2020, vol. 83(1), p. 38-45.
https://doi.org/10.1086/707312



The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world
by Claudio Ottoni and others
Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2017, vol. 1, article number 0139
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0139



Of cats and men: The paleogenetic history of the dispersal of cats in the ancient world
by Claudio Ottoni and others
bioRxiv, 2016, article number 080028
https://doi.org/10.1101/080028





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Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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In this episode we talk with Clarence Surette and Zeb Kawei about 3D scanning, modelling, and printing in archaeology.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-233-surette-kawei/





About Clarence Surette



Clarence is a bio-archaeology technician at Lakehead University. A lot of his research has focused on the analysis of microfossils (such as phytoliths, pollen, starch) and how it applies to reconstructing past diets and environments. In recent years, Clarence's work has focused on investigating the use of 3D modelling in archaeology. Since 2007, he has been the president of the Thunder Bay Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society.



Web:
https://www.lakeheadu.ca/users/S/clsurett/node/21165
https://lakeheadu.academia.edu/ClarenceSurette
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clarence-Surette
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarence-surette-a5531a43/





About Zebedee "Zeb" Kawei



Zeb is a graduate of Lakehead University and currently an archaeologist at Ecofor Consulting. His research focuses on reconstructing paleo-environment in virtual reality.  



Web:
https://lakeheadu.academia.edu/ZebedeeKawei





Some useful terminology and links



Blender
https://www.blender.org/



MeshLab
https://www.meshlab.net/



Meshmixer
https://www.meshmixer.com/



Artifact GeoMorph Toolbox 3D
https://sourceforge.net/projects/artifact-geomorph-toolbox-3d/files/



Stratovan
https://www.stratovan.com/blog/landmark-editor



Lakehead Anthropology Sketchfab page
https://sketchfab.com/LakeheadAnthropology





Selected reading



Quick and dirty: streamlined 3D scanning in archaeology
by Jarrod Knibbe, and others
Published in "CSCW '14: Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing" in 2014. p. 1366–1376
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2531602.2531669



Promoting the Past: The Educational Applications of 3D Scanning Technology in Archaeology
by Ashley McCuistion
Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology, 2013, Vol. 29, p. 35-42
https://www.academia.edu/5242308/



Towards the definition of best 3D practices in archaeology: Assessing 3D documentation techniques for intra-site data recording
by Fabrizio Galeazzi
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2016, Vol. 17, p. 159-169
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2015.07.005





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In this episode I talk with Gareth Spicer about policies of disclosure in archaeology and how this has influenced some of the projects that he has worked on.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-232-spicer/





About Gareth Spicer



Gareth is a principal archaeologist at Turtle Island Cultural Resource Management based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

Web:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-spicer-819b4360/





Some useful terminology and links



Turtle Island CRM
http://turtleislandcrm.com/





Selected reading



Archaeologists dig for answers at new Walterdale site
CBC News, 10 August 2012 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/archaeologists-dig-for-answers-at-new-walterdale-site-1.1163310



Much of Edmonton’s rich aboriginal prehistory sits in storage
by Elise Stolte
Edmonton Journal, 16 August 2012
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/insight/much-of-edmontons-rich-aboriginal-prehistory-sits-in-storage





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In this episode I talk with Bruce Bradley about the Solutrean hypothesis and his work investigating this subject.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-231-bradley/





About Bruce Bradley



Dr. Bradley is an emeritus professor at the University of Exeter. His research currently focuses on the Pleistocene in South America and American Southwest Ancestral Puebloan archaeology. He is also active in research into the early occupations of the Atlantic seaboard in North America. Bruce is also well-known in the knapper community for his skill and ability to replicate ancient techniques and styles of knapped stone tools. 

Web:
https://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/bradley/
https://exeter.academia.edu/BruceBradley
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bruce-Bradley
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bruce-Bradley-2
https://www.primtech.net/





Some useful terminology and links



Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optically_stimulated_luminescence



Meadowcroft Rockshelter site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowcroft_Rockshelter



Page-Ladson site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page-Ladson



Topper site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper_Site



Gravettian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravettian



Magdalenian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalenian



Denali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali
https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm





Selected reading



Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture
by Dennis J. Stanford, Bruce A. Bradley
University of California Press, 2013, 336 pages.
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520275782/across-atlantic-ice
https://www.audible.com/pd/Across-Atlantic-Ice-Audiobook/B008BK8KE4



Ice Bridge
Director: Robin Bicknell
Nature of Things, CBC (Season 57, Episode 11)
Episode air date: 14 January 2018 (Canada)
https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/ice-bridge
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7870326/



New Evidence for a Possible Paleolithic Occupation of the Eastern North American Continental Shelf at the Last Glacial Maximum
by Dennis Stanford and colleagues
Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental Shelf, 2014, p. 73-93
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9635-9_5
https://www.academia.edu/7054896/



Solutrean Hypothesis: Genetics, the Mammoth in the Room
by Stephen Oppenheimer, Bruce Bradley & Dennis Stanford
World Archaeology, 2014, Vol. 46(5), Debates in World Archaeology, p. 752-774. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2014.966273 



The North Atlantic Ice-Edge Corridor: A Possible Palaeolithic Route to the New World
by Bruce Bradley and Dennis Stanford
World Archaeology, 2004, Vol. 36(4), Debates in World Archaeology, p. 459-478.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0043824042000303656





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Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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In this episode we talk with Raven Todd DaSilva about popularising archaeology through YouTube.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website. 

http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-230-todd-dasilva/





About Raven Todd DaSilva



Raven is a graduate of University College London. Her research interests are in archaeology and heritage conservation. She hosts the YouTube channel 'Dig it with Raven', in which she informs viewers about archaeology and history.



Web:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raven-todd-dasilva-563a4672/
https://www.digitwithraven.com/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raven-Todd-Dasilva
https://www.instagram.com/digitwithraven/
https://www.facebook.com/digitwithraven/
https://twitter.com/digitwithraven





Selected media

Dig It With Raven
YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6P0a1_YLM0i2LoLmP9jCRw





For more episodes and news, visit our website and social media pages.

Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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In this episode I talk with Alka Barthwal about her research at Roopkund Lake, the history of the site, and hypotheses about who the skeletons belonged to and what happened to them.



Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-229-barthwal/





About Alka Barthwal



Dr. Barthwal is a professor of bioanthropology at Suresh Gyan Vihar University. Her research focuses on palaeopathology and bioanthropology, specifically the analysis of ancient human skeletal remains. Her main subject of interest is the skeletons of Roopkund - who the people were, what happened to them, and how they were connected to local people.

Web:
https://independent.academia.edu/AlkaBarthwal 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alka-barthwal-182b5985/





Some useful terminology and links

Roopkund
Locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeleton Lake. A high altitude glacial lake in Uttarakhand, India. Located in the Himalayas, at an altitude of about 5029 m, the area around the lake is uninhabited and is surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow-clad mountains. It is known for the hundreds of ancient human skeletons found around the lake.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roopkund



Uttarakhand
('Northern Land' in Hindi.) A state in northern India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally "Land of the Gods") due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state. It is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas, the Bhabar and the Terai regions. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north; the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal to the east; the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the west and north-west.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttarakhand



Nanda Devi Raj Jat [नंदा देवी राज जात]
A pilgrimage and festival of Uttarakhand. India. In Chamoli Garhwal, Nanda Devi Raj Jat is organized once in 12 years. The pilgrimage starts from Kansuwa village near Karnprayag and goes up to the heights of Roopkund and Hemkund with a four horned sheep (called Chausingya-Meda in Garhwali). After the Havan-Yagna is done, the sheep is freed with decorated ornaments, food and clothing, and other offerings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanda_Devi_Raj_Jat





Selected reading



Roopkund Mystery "Pathology Reveals Head Injury behind the Casualties"
by Alka Barthwal
Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology, 2018, Vol. 6, p. 1084‐1096.
http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume6/58.pdf



Roopkund: An Unsolved Mystery
by Alka Barthwal, R.S. Negi, V.S. Chauhan, H.B.S. Chauhan
शोध संचयन Shodh Sanchayan, 2013, Vol. 4(2), p. 1-4.
https://www.academia.edu/6238666/



Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India
by Éadaoin Harney and colleagues
Nature Communications, 2019, Vol. 10, article 3670.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9





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Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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