HEAS Member Sylvia Kirchengast awarded funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)’s 1000 Ideas Program
More On Article
- Datenkontrolle, -aufbereitung und -auswertung portabler Röntgenfluoreszenzanalysen (p-RFA) mit dem Bruker Tracer 5i No 900F398 an silikatischem Material des Brandopferplatzes bei Farchant, Lkr. Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- Deep genetic substructure within bonobos
- HEAS members So Jung Han and Martin Kuhlwilm publish study of the evolutionary history of bonobos
- Improved detection of methylation in ancient DNA
- Exposure and connectedness to natural environments: An examination of the measurement invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups
HEAS Team Leader Sylvia Kirchengast (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology) has recently received new funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)’s 1000 Ideas Program. Her research project, „Gender-associated infant mortality in archaeological samples“, will examine the still unexplained female deficit in prehistoric and historic cemeteries.
The demographic interpretation of prehistoric and historic cemeteries is challenged by a frequent female deficit, with male skeletons often outnumbering female skeletons by a factor of two or more, contrary to expected natural sex ratios. Methodological issues such as inaccurate morphological sex diagnosis and possibly faster decomposition of female skeletons have been suggested but remain unproven. Additionally, gender stereotypes may influence the sex classification of human remains.
Sylvia’s interdisciplinary project posits a new explanation: the female deficit is not a methodological artifact but a result of the subordinate role of women in patriarchal societies. This deficit may stem from lower societal investment in female offspring or from deliberate neglect. The project explores this question through interdisciplinary collaboration between Roman Archaeology and Biological Anthropology.
The team, consisting of HEAS members Sylvia Kirchengast, Dominik Hagmann, and other experts from HEAS and beyond, will analyze a Roman-era cemetery from today’s Wels, Austria, known for its female deficit. The research will include aDNA analysis of subadult individuals to detect excess female mortality, 14C dating, and material culture studies to determine whether crises such as the Antonine Plague affected female mortality rates. In addition to analyzing the biological sex of individuals, their nutritional and disease status will be examined to determine societal investment. Digital spatial analysis of burials and the examination of cremations will also be undertaken to investigate gender-specific burial practices. The results will be made easily accessible online and sustainably archived for the long term. This project aims to potentially reinterpret a hitherto unexplained phenomenon.