Reconstructing Faunal and Human Population Dynamics in Postglacial Southern Britain through Ancient DNA and Archaeology.

This project will explore the population dynamics of humans and fauna in Britain following the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM)(~20ka). The period following the LGM is characterised by climatic warming and a retreat of glacial conditions across Northern Europe. Humans and temperate fauna are believed to have recolonised Europe from 'glacial refugia' during this period, entailing range shifts and complex changes in human culture and genetics.
These processes will be investigated by characterising habitation over time at the Kitley Cave complex (Devon). This is an understudied site in an archaeologically significant region, containing evidence of Palaeolithic faunal and human occupation. To investigate population dynamics, the project aims to recover ancient DNA from faunal and human remains. Where morphologically unidentifiable bone fragments are present, Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) will be applied to identify taxa and whether additional human remains are present for aDNA analysis. We will also attempt recovery of ancient environmental DNA from sediments to provide a high-resolution record of habitation over time.
A combined archaeological and biomolecular data set will facilitate a broader understanding of faunal and human movements, contributing to an enhanced picture of population expansion and turnover as the British Isles were recolonised following post-LGM environmental change.