Doktorantide ettekandepäev

Biotechnological advances in sequencing have increased the number of genomes obtained from bioarchaeological material that, when combined with archaeological and historical evidence, have great potential to uncover aspects of past societies and populations. However, due to post-mortem damage and contamination, the retrieved sequences often exhibit high missingness and poor coverage. This, while still useful in some cases, limits their applicability. Genotype imputation addresses this issue by inferring missing sites using extensive reference panels. Although this process is straightforward to implement, its accuracy depends on several factors, including the initial coverage of the target genome, the size of the reference panel, and the divergence of the reference panel from the target individual/population.

In this presentation, I will briefly explain genotype imputation, its applications, and limitations. Then, I will discuss our region-specific enriched reference panel (eREF), which was built by merging three available modern datasets (Estonian Biobank, Polish Thousand Genome Project, and Haplotype Reference Consortium) for the genotype imputation of genomes from Eastern Europe, and the validation process for eREF. Finally, I will present a case study of two neighboring communities from Late Iron Age/Medieval Northeastern Estonia, Kukruse and Jõuga, in which we used eREF-imputed genotypes for various population genetics analyses.

Cereal growing has played an important role in Estonia’s agricultural history and in shaping the environment. My research focuses on cereal-growing practices in Estonia from the Bronze Age to the Modern Period, using one of the most direct sources of evidence – cereal seeds. The doctoral research combines archaeobotanical methods, experimental archaeology and stable isotope analysis. The aim of the research is to find out how stable isotope values in seeds can reflect past growing conditions and agricultural practices, and how these may have changed over time.

Archaeological plant and cereal remains are rare and often overlooked as a source of information about the past. As a result, important information about past agriculture may remain unused. Interpreting this material is difficult because the stable isotope values of cereals from archaeological contexts can be affected by several factors, both separately and together. These include growing conditions, cultivation practices, taphonomic processes, and the handling of grains during and after excavation and analysis.

The presentation introduces the background and methods of the research project, as well as some preliminary observations. It also explores how the processes from seed to archaeological sample may affect the interpretation of the remains and their use in understanding past cerealgrowing practices

The Finnish population represents a unique genetic isolate shaped by a recent founder event. Previous studies suggest that the ancestors of Finnic-speaking Finns and Estonians reached the circum-Baltic region by the first millennium BCE, although linguistic similarities indicate a more recent divergence. A 2021 study identified unexpectedly high individual genetic connectedness between modern Estonians and Finns over the past eight centuries, despite clear differences in allele frequencies.

Building on these findings, we applied an integrated ancient and modern DNA workflow to investigate fine-scale genetic relationships and demographic history. Ancient DNA was extracted, sequenced, authenticated, and analysed using imputation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), long shared allele intervals (LSAIs), and identity-by-descent (IBD) methods. Additional analyses included admixture modelling with qpAdm and biological kinship estimation using READ2 and IBD segment sharing.

To clarify the origins of Estonian-Finnish genetic connectedness, we sequenced 16 additional prehistoric individuals from Estonia, dated between 1,400 BCE and 700 CE. These samples include the first genomes from 300–700 CE. Comparing genetic connectedness across periods revealed that individuals from 300–700 CE already shared stronger genetic connections with modern Estonians and Finns than individuals from earlier periods, including those dated to 600–100 BCE. These findings provide new insights into the emergence of genetic links between the two populations.

Archaeological dental calculus is a well of knowledge for an archaeologist. Mineralised food and environmental particles preserved within it can offer a wealth of knowledge. Starch granules, phytoliths and even wood particles can shed light on ancient foodways and practices.

This presentation explores what archaeological dental calculus is, what are its uses and contents. In addition to the introduction to the subject, I will share how I intend to optimise the methodological bottlenecks of the dental calculus analysis process during my PhD.

Kristo Oks is a PhD student and a junior research fellow at the department of archaeology in the University of Tartu. His research addresses various questions regarding the local iron and steel production in Estonia in the Iron and the Middle Ages (500 BC – AD 1500). The research studies the use and production techniques of steel throughout the whole timespan mentioned above.

Steel is an iron alloy with a raised carbon content that has been used to forge sharp-edged cutting tools for millennia. When did the inhabitants of nowadays Estonia start to produce iron? When and how did they start to use and produce steel? Was the steel produced locally or was it at some times also imported from abroad? What is the provenance of iron and steel in the medieval rural settlements, and does it differ in the local power centres? These are but a few questions that are waiting to be answered. The main methods to study these matters are metallographic analyses, where SEM-EDS and LA-ICP-MS are also used for provenance studies. Experimental archaeology is also used to study different methods for producing steel.

Medieval cattle husbandry in the Netherlands remains a relatively underrepresented topic within Dutch (zoo)archaeological research. My master’s thesis aimed to provide a better understanding of cattle morphology and its relationship with husbandry and exploitation practices throughout the Iron Age, Roman period and Medieval period in the Netherlands. Building upon this research, the current ongoing study focuses mainly on morphological variation in Medieval cattle assemblages.

Four different analytical approaches were used to investigate morphological characteristics, with particular emphasis on the Log Size Index (LSI) method. This presentation will provide an overview of the methodology and principal findings of my research, highlighting patterns of morphological variation and their potential implications for our understanding of Medieval cattle husbandry in the Netherlands.

Furthermore, a preliminary comparison with Estonian Medieval cattle assemblages will be presented to explore potential similarities and differences in cattle morphology between the two countries. The aim is to share perspectives and experiences, to spark interesting discussions and to gain inspiration for the ongoing research in Dutch and Estonian cattle research.

Udmurt, a Permic language of the Uralic family, has a rich inventory of modal particles (compare Estonian ju or noh). These small words are extremely frequent in everyday conversation, yet their meaning is difficult to explain. Native speakers may say that a sentence sounds more natural with a particle, while usually insisting that it is unnecessary for understanding what is being said. In fact, modal particles help speakers convey meanings beyond the literal content of an utterance and navigate the complexities of social interaction.

My research investigates the pragmatic contribution of Udmurt particles across different contexts, such as declarative and exclamative sentences, information-seeking and self-addressed questions, or positive and negative responses. I aim to identify which aspects of a particle interpretation remain stable across contexts.

I combine questionnaires, recordings of dialogue games, and corpus analysis. Udmurt speakers rate the naturalness of utterances in specific conversational situations, while recordings and corpus data reveal patterns of particle use in actual interaction.

In my talk, I will present three case studies comparing the Udmurt particles uk and dak, ja and nu, and meda and o, showing that each particle makes a distinct contribution despite apparent similarities.

Children are an important but often understudied group in the archaeological record of Late Iron Age Estonia. Their burials can provide insights into how age, biological sex, identity and social status were expressed through mortuary practices. However, interpreting the relationship between grave goods and sex is particularly challenging in child burials, as biological sex cannot always be established through osteological analysis alone.

This paper examines child burials from the Late Iron Age cemeteries of Pada and Kukruse in northern Estonia, focusing on the composition of grave goods in relation to biological sex. The study combines archaeological evidence with available sex determinations based on osteological and proteomic analyses. It considers the types, combinations and quantities of grave goods, as well as similarities and differences between the two cemeteries.

The aim is to investigate whether patterns in the selection of grave goods are associated with biological sex and to assess how far traditionally gendered interpretations of children’s grave goods correspond to the available biological evidence. The paper also considers whether these patterns were shared by both communities or reflect local burial practices. During the presentation, selected burials will be discussed in greater detail to illustrate the potential and limitations of interpreting children’s grave goods in relation to biological sex.

Every year, hundreds of archaeological finds are reported to the Estonian National Heritage Board from sites discovered by metal detectorists. These discoveries include previously unknown settlement sites, cemeteries, and hoards, expanding our knowledge of (pre)history.

However, the growing popularity of metal detecting also poses challenges for archaeological heritage management. The large volume of finds and related information has placed considerable pressure on the Heritage Board, which is responsible for regulating metal detecting and documenting reported finds and sites.

My doctoral thesis examines how the information collected through hobby metal detecting can be managed more effectively and integrated into archaeological research. The study focuses on three related aspects. First, I investigate the potential of machine learning to analyse and classify archaeological finds, particularly coins. Second, drawing on fieldwork conducted within the KUM-TA 4 project, I try to examine what archaeological knowledge can be gained from hobbyist-discovered plough-zone sites, which methods are suitable for investigating them, and how these sites can be better protected. Third, I aim to study the metal-detecting community itself, including detectorists’ backgrounds and motivations, to help the Heritage Board better understand it and develop more effective ways to communicate with them.