MAARITIME

Marine Amino Acid Racemisation Investigation of the Mediterranean

Coordinatore	UNIVERSITY OF YORK    more  Organization address address: HESLINGTON city: YORK NORTH YORKSHIRE postcode: YO10 5DD contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: David Cognome: Hudson Email: send email Telefono: +44 1904 434419 Fax: +44 1904 434119
Nazionalità Coordinatore	United Kingdom [UK]
Totale costo	45˙000 €
EC contributo	45˙000 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG
Funding Scheme	MC-ERG
Anno di inizio	2010
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2010-10-01   -   2013-09-30

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	UNIVERSITY OF YORK  Organization address address: HESLINGTON city: YORK NORTH YORKSHIRE postcode: YO10 5DD contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: David Cognome: Hudson Email: send email Telefono: +44 1904 434419 Fax: +44 1904 434119	UK (YORK NORTH YORKSHIRE)	coordinator	45˙000.00

Mappa

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'mAARiTIME is a highly interdisciplinary project, which brings together the fields of Archaeology, Biology, Chemistry, Geochronology and Quaternary Sciences. Through protein geochronology (amino acid racemisation dating, AAR), it seeks to answer two specific but vital questions: when did early humans become “modern”, and is “modern” behaviour unique to our own species?

Behavioural modernity has fortuitously left traces in the archaeological record as molluscan remains, one of the best substrates for AAR dating. Molluscs were exploited as a food resource and shells were used as personal ornaments, providing some of the earliest evidence of symbolic thinking displayed by early humans. These appear between 160-70 ka ago, a period which falls tantalisingly outside that of many commonly applied dating techniques. AAR is able to yield direct age information for mollusc shells, and its broad temporal span (the whole Quaternary, 0-2.6 Ma) makes it the ideal method for framing chronologically the debate over the origins of modern human behaviour.

mAARiTIME will focus on the Mediterranean rim, which is key to the development of behavioural modernity. By applying a novel (closed-system) method of AAR dating, mAARiTIME will build chronological frameworks able to provide reliable dating control for this area. The method will be rigorously tested by laboratory experiments on different molluscan taxa as well as by comparing the AAR data with independent age information. A detailed investigation of protein breakdown will also be performed by applying state-of-the-art proteomics and imaging techniques.

Other than producing important advances in geochronology and archaeological sciences, mAARiTIME will enable the development of long-lasting collaboration between a network of researchers in Northern and Southern Europe, coordinated by the applicant, and with the long-term goal of establishing a AAR dating facility in Southern Europe.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

The remains of Mediterranean society is supplying data on when man first became capable of 'symbolic thought'.