Change and Consistency

Continuity (as well as change) can be traced in the genes, language, traditions, landscapes, diet, and other aspects of Estonian life. The continuity case study brings together researchers from folkloristics, genetics, archaeology, linguistics, and paleoecology. The first time‑consuming task is to gain a thorough overview of the datasets used in different disciplines and to establish a shared vocabulary. The starting point was to consider whether and how the synchronous variation of data reflects historical processes, including population dynamics and cultural contacts. A challenge arises from the fact that the datasets differ greatly in temporal and spatial scale as well as in research questions. Clarifying discipline‑specific terminology also requires time. The aim of the working group is to use combined datasets to provide a more holistic picture of the continuity of people and place. Discussions have compared how different disciplines understand the concept of continuity, and one emerging theme has been the cross‑disciplinary critical reassessment of “classical” texts in light of current knowledge.

This working group focuses on cultural, technological, and economic innovations in a spatiotemporal comparative framework. The first part of the project concentrates on food innovations. It examines the arrival and spread of domestic animals and their associated by‑products (e.g., milk and dairy products), as well as innovations related to plant cultivation. The study draws on datasets from archaeology and history, biomolecular analyses, zoology and botany, linguistic etymology, and folkloristics. The goal is to map the spread, temporal depth, cultural connotations, and regional differences of these food innovations. In the second phase, the focus shifts to technological and material‑culture innovations (including metallurgy).

The aim is to use lake sediments to study changes in South Estonian ecosystems over time, focusing on the emergence and intensification of human impact in connection with societal developments. To investigate plant communities, the paleoecology and paleoclimate group applies pollen analysis. As a new direction in Estonia, the archaeogenomics group has introduced sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA) analysis, which enables the study of changes in both plant and animal communities. With the help of Ruairidh Macleod (University of Oxford), a recent visiting researcher at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Genomics, the necessary laboratory capacity has been established and initial bioinformatic analyses have been completed. A postdoctoral researcher specialising in sedaDNA will soon join the project.

Under the “Animals and Humans” case study, a pilot project is nearing completion. Its aim is to adapt ancient DNA (aDNA) methods developed for human genomics to the analysis of animal aDNA. Selected samples have undergone aDNA extraction, library preparation, and sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis is currently underway. Once the methodology is fully adapted, the plan is to conduct large‑scale whole‑genome analyses of ancient animal samples. These data will then be integrated—through collaboration with several Centre of Excellence working groups—with isotope, environmental, and human datasets to link animal diets, environmental changes, and human migration waves and cultural developments.

This case study examines how natural factors influenced the construction and use of historical roads. A central task is the digitisation of Swedish‑era transportation maps and the calibration of cost functions based on 17th‑century roads, using modern environmental data for comparison. The goal is to reconstruct historical mobility patterns and assess the extent to which terrain, soils, bodies of water, and other factors shaped the development of the road network. The study provides a foundation for a better understanding of past mobility and supports a broader framework for spatiotemporal modelling.