Between Genomes, Archaeological Remains, and Written Sources: The Rationale for a Dialogue
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1593-2214/14138Keywords:
Early Middle Ages, Archaeogenetics, Interdisciplinarity, Written sources, Material culture, Ethnicity, HistoriographyAbstract
Archaeogenetics has opened new possibilities for the study of the Early Middle Ages, while also raising important methodological and interpretative questions. Genomes, archaeological remains, and written sources address different kinds of questions and cannot simply be superimposed. This introduction explains the rationale for the dialogue developed in this section, stressing the need to integrate disciplines and different kinds of data without automatically equating genetic ancestry, material culture, and ethnicity. The discussion of Patrick J. Geary’s book thus becomes an opportunity to reflect on the possibilities and limits of genuinely interdisciplinary history.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Roberto Delle Donne
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