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Resequencing the Middle Ages through Archaeogenetics

Interpreting the Past through Science and History

Resequencing the Middle Ages through Archaeogenetics cover

Resequencing the Middle Ages through Archaeogenetics

Interpreting the Past through Science and History

Description

Offering a clear and accessible introduction to the fast-growing field of archaeogenetics, this book pays particular attention to the methods and approaches that are reshaping how archaeologists and historians think about the past.

Written for readers with no prior background in genetics, it explains in straightforward terms how genomic research can shed light on mobility, population change, social organization and cultural practices. At the same time, it begins with a critical reflection on the troubling history of attempts to fuse biology and history, showing how earlier racialized approaches distorted the past and warning against their resurgence today. By foregrounding both the current approaches and challenges of archaeogenetics, this book helps readers approach the field with a critical and informed perspective.

The book's central case study is the Carpathian Basin between 400 and 900 CE, which was a region at the crossroads of the transformation of the Roman world. Drawing on the most up-to-date research, this book demonstrates how integrating genomic, archaeological and historical data can illuminate the complex social and cultural changes of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The result is a concise yet compelling narrative of how cutting-edge science is reshaping medieval studies.

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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Introduction: The Genetic Revolution

Chapter One: The Dangerous Legacy of Racialized History
Chapter Two: Genetic Data as Historical Data
Chapter Three: Making Sense of Genomic Data
Chapter Four: Ancient DNA and the Early Medieval Transition

Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 15 Oct 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Pages 176
ISBN 9781350614635
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 35 in-text colour illus
Series Debates in Archaeology
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Patrick J. Geary

Patrick J. Geary is Professor Emeritus of History…

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