Development in South West Asia (SWA) of local initiatives in bioarchaeological practices and trainings

Organised by:
MASHKOUR M. (1) * , TENGBERG M. (2), CHAHOUD J. (3)
(1) CNRS, Paris, France
(2) Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
(3) Université Lyon 2, Lyon, France
*Corresponding author

Abstract:
Today no excavation can be imagined without the implication and integration of archaeobotany, archaeozoology, and molecular analyses. Within the last 40 years with the development of archaeological sciences, awareness of SWA and non SWA archaeologists has increased on the importance of natural sciences. The aim of this session is : 1) to have a state of art on the development of bioarchaeological studies in South West Asia by local scholars. 2) to gather the archaeologists and the SWA community of archaeobotanists, archaeozoologists, physical anthropologists, biogeochemists to have a dialogue, to share their experience on when and how these developments took place. 3) to have the viewpoint of field archaeologists and how they deal with the requirement of bioarchaeological research and methods in the field in terms of sampling strategies and also in the frame of heritage regulations and policies. We expect to collect testimonies on these developments and how they impact today the younger generation, despite the political difficulties in the region for several decades. These unique trajectories and stories will constitute a solid documentation on the development of these scientific fields in the SWA countries and a guide for those who engage in this path. We also aim at publishing these testimonies in a single volume that will be as a bench mark for retracing the emergence and development of bioarchaeology in the almost 20 countries that constitute South West Asia.

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Keywords:
Bioarchaeology, Collections, Training, Sampling, Heritage Regulations

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Program

Thursday 05 June 2025

– Integrating Bioarchaeology into Southwest Asian Archaeology: research and collaboration in Lyon;

Emmanuelle VILA (1) (presenting author),
Françoise LE MORT (1),
Jwana CHAHOUD (1,4),
Moussab ALBESSO (1,2),
Bérénice CHAMEL (5),
Linda HERVEUX (1),
Modwène POULMARC’H (1),
Michael SEIGLE (1,3),
George WILLCOX (1),
Daniel HELMER (1);

1 UMR 5133-Archéorient, CNRS-Université Lumière Lyon
2, Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée, Lyon, France;
2 Archéodunum, Toulouse, France ;
3 Eveha, Lyon, France ;
4 Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France ;
5 Institut français du Proche-Orient, Beyrouth, Lebanon.

– Reading archaeozoology in Tehran; An account of the bioarchaeological developments in Iran;

Marjan MASHKOUR (1,2)(presenting author),
Haeedeh LALEH (2);

1 CNRS- UMR 7209- AASPE- Archaeozoology and Archaeobotany, Paris, France;
2 BALUT- Bioarchaeology Laboratory, Central Laboratory, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

– Sowing seeds: encouraging research into the archaeobotany of southwest Asia in France;

Margareta TENGBERG (1) (presenting author),
George WILLCOX (2),
Charlène BOUCHAUD (1);

1 UMR 7209 (Bioarch), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle/CNRS, Paris, France;
2 UMR 5133 (Archéorient), Lyon, France.

– Advancing Bioarchaeology in Lebanon: Research in Archaeozoology, Archaeomalacology, and Archaeobotany;

Jwana CHAHOUD (1,2,3) (presenting author),
Zeinab RAYA (1,2,3),
Christelle KABBOUL (3,4);

1 Université Lyon 2, LYON, France;
2 Archéorient, UMR 5133, CNRS, Maisond e l’Orient et la Méditerannée, Lyon, France ;
3 Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon;
4 AASP, CNRS, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

– Development of Bioarchaeological Research in the United Arab Emirates;

Mark Jonathan BEECH (1) (presenting author);
Filipe Costa VAZ (2)

1 Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
2 Historic Environment Department, Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

– The development of Archaeozoology in Saudi Arabia: the AZAP Research project and the Jaussen & Savignac Research center (Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne University);

Hervé MONCHOT (1,2) (presenting author),
Gaëlle TALLET (1),
Ingrid PERISSE (3);

1 Universite Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, Paris, France;
2 Centre francais de recherche de la peninsule Arabique (CEFREPA), Kuwait city, Kuwait ;
3 Agence francaise pour le developpement d’AlUla (AFALULA), Paris, France.

– Archaeozoology Vs Zooarchaeology: Comparative Insights Into The Study Of Faunal Remains In Armenia;

Ninna MANASERYAN (1), Andranik GYONJYAN (1) (presenting author);
1 Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, Yerevan, Armenia.

– Promoting local archaeozoological research in Uzbekistan: Collaborative Initiatives and Educational Developments;

Delphine DECRUYENAERE (1,2) (presenting author) ;

1 Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, UMR7209 AASPE, Paris, France;
2 Silk Road University of Tourism and Cultural heritage, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

– From Root to Rise: The Steppe Sisters Network;

Elissa BULLION (1),
Katie CAMPBELL (2),
Mariana CASTRO (3),
Ainash CHILDEBAYEVA (4),
Cecilia CONTE (5),
Dilnoza DUTURAEVA (6),
Ashleigh HARUDA (7),
Kristen HOPPER (8),
Angela NOSEDA (9) (presenting author),
Aiya RAISSOVA (10),
Dilrabo TOSHEVA (11),
Alicia VENTRESCA MILLER (11);

1 US National Resources Conservation Service, Spokane, United States;
2 University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
3 Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York City, United States;
4 University of Kansas, Lawrence, United States;
5 Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany;
6 University of York, York, United Kingdom;
7 University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;
8 Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom;
9 Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France;
10 Yale University, New Haven, United States;
11 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States.

– ZooStan – Establishment of a French-Central Asian Archaeozoological Center, challenge and solutions;

William RENDU (1) (presenting author);

1 CNRS-KazNU, Voiron, France.

– From Bioarcheological Research to Capacity Building in the Indus Basin: The MAFBI training programme in Pakistan;

Aurore DIDIER (1,2) (presenting author),
Asma AYOOB KHILJI (4),
Marjan MASHKOUR (3),
David SARMIENTO-CASTILLO (2),
Margareta TENGBERG (5);

1 CNRS – UMR 7041 Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité, Nanterre, France;
2 Mission Archéologique Française du Bassin de l’Indus, Nanterre, France ;
3 CNRS – UMR 7209 Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique : Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Paris, France ;
4 PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan;
5 MNHN – UMR7209 Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique : Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Paris, France

– Archaeobotany as a practice, discipline and ‘the missing link’ in archaeology in Türkiye;

Muge ERGUN (1) (presenting author);

1 University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

– Discussion

 

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Dr Mark Jonathan Beech (Scientific Research Lead, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi), presenting author, and Filipe Costa Vaz (Historic Environment Department, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi) will be presenting the following paper in the session in Room W.6.1 on Thursday 5th June from 12:00-12:30 pm:

DEVELOPMENT OF BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Archaeology in the UAE has a comparatively young history and there is a paucity of publications on bioarchaeological research. Archaeologists operating there are aware of possibilities of integrating archaeobotany, archaeozoology, molecular analyses, physical anthropology, and geoarchaeological results with their work, but there are comparatively few opportunities for suitable research facilities or collaboration with colleagues.  There is also a distinct lack of institutions teaching bioarchaeology within the UAE and Gulf region. Many studies are carried out by visiting experts who either only stay a short time in the country, or who export the bioarchaeological remains so they may study the remains elsewhere. This has not helped to build local capacity and expertise in the region. Some suggestions for future best practice include ensuring full engagement with local institutions. The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi (NHMAD) will open its doors for the first time in 2025. This museum houses a research institute with significant archive and laboratory facilities. The NHMAD will become a hub for resident and visiting scientists to undertake research on its collections. The NHMAD welcomes future research collaborations with bioarchaeologists and will be actively looking to undertake joint training and research programmes.

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This takes place in Session 6 – Life and death: Human behaviour and practices – Type of papers:  Workshop, at the 14th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE) which has been organised since 1998 by the scientific community of scholars working on and in the Near East. It is an exceptional forum for dialogue and scientific exchanges between all colleagues involved in the study of the Ancient Near East.

To discover the program of the 14th ICAANE click here.

To download all the ICAANE Abstracts click here.

After twelve years, the ICAANE comes back to France to the city of lights Lyon. From 2-7 June 2025, the fourteenth International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East will take place in Lyon. It is organised by the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and the Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée.

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