Animals REsilient in TIme (ARETI) is an interdisciplinary research project that explores the genetic, economic and cultural history of cattle on the island of Cyprus from the prehistoric times to the present. By weaving together evidence from Zooarchaeology, cattle iconography and palaeogenomics, ethnography and folklore studies, the project’s main aim is to unearth vital information about the last 8000 years of human-cattle interactions on the island and highlight the historical value of an animal that has accompanied Cypriot rural societies for many centuries. One of the core elements of the project is to demonstrate the physical presence of the thermotolerant Bos indicus or zebu cattle (or hybrids) on the island and its potential link to past climatic shifts and human migrations. Our genomic analysis focused so far on 15 prehistoric cattle samples (petrous bone) from key archaeological sites, spanning the early Neolithic-Iron Age, while blood samples from 100 unrelated cattle belonging to the Cyprus local breed have also been selected to be genotyped by using a High Density bovine 800K beadchip microarray. Archaeological findings are combined and compared with contemporary DNA mapping of the local Cyprus cattle breed to look for long-lasting signatures of selection, conservation and historical adaptation and contribute to the development, promotion and implementation of sustainable strategies for conserving and further improving the adaptive genetic traits of the Cyprus’ indigenous cattle breed. Overall, through the main concepts and methodologies of ARETI as well as our public outreach plan (e.g. documentary, educational activities for children etc.), we demonstrate what can be achieved when different disciplines such as archaeology, animal genomics and conservation biology join forces.
Presenter: Dr Anna Spyrou
Anna has a Bachelor degree in Archaeology and History of Art from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) and an MSc in Environmental Archaeology from UCL. For her PhD, also at UCL, she focused on meat preservation and storage during the Epipalaeolithic period and the significance of these practices for human evolution. Anna’s work focuses primarily on the economic, social and symbolic significance of animals and her research methodology combines traditional zooarchaeological and biomolecular methods as well as iconography and ethnographic approaches. Her new project, entitled Animals Resilient in Time: Unravelling the genetic, economic and cultural history of Cyprus local cattle from prehistoric times to present (ARETI) is funded by the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation and is in close collaboration with the Cyprus’ Agricultural Research Institute and the Smurfit Institute of Genetics.
Anna is particularly interested in the multiples ways Zooarchaeology can move beyond its strict scientific boundaries, expand the knowledge to the wider public and contribute to global issues such as livestock biodiversity, ecosystem engineering and climate change.
Time: 6pm Amman, 5pm Cyprus, 3pm London
To book your place at this online lecture, click here
