MPI Colloquium Prof. Mehmet Somel

ABSTRACT

Insights from ancient DNA about social practices and gender roles in prehistoric communities

I will first present recent results from studies using ancient DNA data to infer social organisation and practices in prehistoric societies. I will particularly focus on the Neolithic Anatolian site of Çatalhöyük from 9000-8000 years ago, famous for its dominant female figurines, interpreted by some as an indication of a matriarchal society. Our group sequenced 131 individuals buried under the floors of 23 buildings, spanning >500 years. We found evidence for evolving kinship structures, with non-biological kin relations appearing to become more prominent over time. We also found that genetic links among burials within buildings were mainly maternal, indicating a matrilocal society at the house level. The overall evidence reveals female-centered practices in Çatalhöyük, which contrasts with later-coming Neolithic societies in Europe that appear to have shifted towards male-centered practices, such as patrilocality. I will finish my talk by discussing ethical problems concerning human population genetic and a DNA studies, especially those involving genetic analyses of social traits such as educational attainment, highlighting their use in bolstering genetic essentialist misconceptions and eugenicist views.

Short Biography

Professor Mehmet Somel did a biology undergrad and a biotechnology MSc at the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. He worked at the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig for his Ph.D., and as postdoctoral fellow in PICB, Shanghai, and in UC Berkeley. Since 2013 he is working as faculty member at METU Biological Sciences. His research interests include population and evolutionary genetics, including archaeogenomics and human evolution, and the biology of aging. He works as part of the CompEvo group (http://compevo.bio.metu.edu.tr/) and the METU/Hacettepe Ancient DNA Team.

Website: Mehmet Somel | Department of Biological Sciences: Biology/Molecular Biology & Genetics

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