Research

The project is a team effort, being fully inter/cross-disciplinary from its inception, also reflecting the position of modern prehistoric archaeology as an intermediary discipline between humanities and sciences, incorporating methods, techniques and results from bio, geo and environmental sciences.

Besides the core funeral archaeology, material culture studies, and landscape approaches, our bio-sciences are covering genetics/ancient DNA, bio-anthropology and isotope biogeochemistry analyses. Geo- and environmental sciences are contributing with palaeoclimatology, climate change research, soil formation processes and environmental chemistry.

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 788616).
Highlighted articles and chapters

• (2021) Yamnaya Interactions. Proceedings of the International Workshop held in Helsinki, 25-26 April 2019. V. Heyd, G. Kulcsár & B. Preda-Bălănică (eds.). The Yamnaya Impact of Prehistoric Europe 2 (Budapest: Archaeolingua) [550  p.]. 

- therein: V. Heyd, Yamnaya, Corded Wares and Bell Beakers on the Move, pp. 383-414 & Interaction Epilogue by K. Kristiansen & V. Heyd, pp. 543-548. 

• (2020) K.-G. Sjögren, I. Olalde, S. Carver, M.E. Allentoft, T. Knowles, G. Kroonen, A. W.G. Pike, P. Schröter, K.A. Brown, K. Robson-Brown, R.J. Harrison, F. Bertemes, D. Reich, K. Kristiansen & V. Heyd, Kinship and social organization in Copper Age Europe: A cross-disciplinary analysis of archaeology, DNA, isotopes, and anthropology from two Bell Beaker cemeteries. PLoS ONE15(11): e0241278.

• (2020) B. Preda-Bǎlǎnicǎ, A. Frînculeasa, V. Heyd, The Yamnaya Impact North of the Lower Danube: A Tale of Newcomers and Locals, Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 117/1, 85-101.  

• (2019) V. Heyd, Yamnaya – Corded Wares – Bell Beakers, or how to conceptualize events of 5000 years ago that shaped modern Europe. In: Valchev. T. (ed.), Studia in honorem Iliae Iliev. Регионален исторически музей - Ямбол/Yambol. Вести на Ямболския музей /година VI/9 (Yambol), 125-136. 
Video based on "First bioanthropological evidence for Yamnaya horsemanship" article

In this video, the Hidden History Channel talks about how new research shows that the Indo-European Yamnaya group of Steppe pastoralists were the world’s first horse riders.

The evidence presented is based on the article by Trautmann et al. (2023) "First bioanthropological evidence for Yamnaya horsemanship", published in the journal Science Advances.
Most recent publications