Conference Presentations by Margaux Depaermentier
Strontium isotope analyses are considered a useful tool to understand mobility patterns of past h... more Strontium isotope analyses are considered a useful tool to understand mobility patterns of past human individuals. However, the interpretation of the 87Sr/86Sr isotope data is closely linked to the determination of a local baseline range, which is controlled and biased by a variety of geographical, geological, and hydrological parameters at different spatio-temporal scales. Scattered site locations and heterogeneous sample compositions do not allow for the interpolation of supraregional strontium isotope baselines. In this context, the extensive database of the DFG-funded interdisciplinary project Bevölkerungsgeschichte des Karpatenbeckens in der Jungsteinzeit und ihr Einfluss auf die Besiedlung Mitteleuropas (coordination: Eszter Bánffy and Kurt W. Alt; DFG-grant number Al 287/10-1) is used to determine local to micro-regional strontium baselines of Neolithic sites in Hungary through the integration of multivariate environmental analyses. The comprehensive GIS-based model allowed for the determination of the specific site location parameters based on palaeo-environmental and modern datasets such as geological and pedological units, hydrological conditions, flooding vulnerability, and vegetation development. The integration of remotely sensed-data, high resolution GIS-attributes, and the isotope signals led to the development of the first strontium isomap of Hungary. This project represents an innovative approach in bioarchaeology and will enable further research.
Modelling of archaeology in landscape becomes more and more prominent in multidisciplinary resear... more Modelling of archaeology in landscape becomes more and more prominent in multidisciplinary research projects concerning material and human mobility, settlement dispersal, economy and exchange. However, a more holistic understanding of the interaction among human, material and environmental spheres in space requires consideration of the scale of previous mental and natural boundaries. What role did topography, a river system or a coastline play in the process of linking or separating groups and individuals and thus their relationships? An even bigger question is to what extent the perception of landscape in past times can be traced with a modern conception of space and time.
1. The production of space and landscape: theoretical framework
The first part of this conference focuses on the construction of space on different sociological and archaeological levels. Cognitive, material, anthropogenic and environmental spheres are not always and necessarily congruent. Archaeologists might be able to grasp the expansion of an idea or the function of a things's sphere. Although the equation of the spatial requirement and the actual expansion of a human action area need to be reconsidered.
2. The production of space and landscape: applied theory
A second part deals with possible applications, methodological approaches and solution strategies to access and model human behaviour in landscape. In this context, the surrounding landscape is understood as the ordering body of the individual or group‘s spatial extent. However, we must ask to what degree it is possible to model mental constructions of space and landscape. This section considers the possibility of differentiating landscapes into physical and cognitive categories. We welcome approaches from archaeology as well as neighbouring diciplines to gather further multidisciplinary insights.
We consider communications of 15 minutes with a subsequent five minutes discussion.
The official language of the conference is English.
Organising committee: Michael Kempf, Margaux Depaermentier, Archaeological Institute, Dep. Early Medieval and Medieval Archaeology, University of Freiburg.
Please send abstracts (250 words) of your paper proposals including your contact and affiliation details by 15th June 2018 to [email protected]
CBR 2017: Analyses isotopiques en question / Isotopenanalysen in Frage gestellt - Strontium
Colloque international / Internationale Tagung
à l’occasion des 20 ans du / anlässlich des 20-jä... more Colloque international / Internationale Tagung
à l’occasion des 20 ans du / anlässlich des 20-jährigen Jubiläums des
Collegium Beatus Rhenanus
Migrations, mobilité et transferts culturels: le cas des régions frontalières dans l’Antiquité
Migrationen, Mobilität und Kulturtransfer: Grenzregionen in der Antike
Les 2-4 novembre 2017 / 2.-4. November 2017
Salle des Conseils (MU, Mulhouse), Salle des Conférences (MISHA, Strasbourg)
4th Central European Theoretical Archaeology Group (CE-TAG) Conference, Disciplinarity in Archaeo... more 4th Central European Theoretical Archaeology Group (CE-TAG) Conference, Disciplinarity in Archaeology, Vienna, Monday 16th – Tuesday 17th October 2017.
Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference, London, Wednesday 30 August to Friday... more Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference, London, Wednesday 30 August to Friday 1 September 2017.
Papers by Margaux Depaermentier
Communications Earth and Environment, 2025
Extreme flooding and prolonged, intensifying droughts have played a critical role in the rise and... more Extreme flooding and prolonged, intensifying droughts have played a critical role in the rise and collapse of preindustrial states and empires worldwide, triggering cascading impacts such as crop failure, famine, and migration that undermined socio-political stability and economic resilience. We
present a multicomponent hydroclimatic vulnerability model for crop supply networks to estimate the contribution of climatic stressors as one of several factors contributing to the decline of the late Tang Dynasty in northern China between 800 and 907 CE. We demonstrate that recurrent flooding and
prolonged droughts, combined with an unsustainable shift in crop production from drought-tolerant millet to less resilient wheat and rice, led to harvest failures and food shortages during the cooler and drier climatic conditions of the late 9th and early 10th centuries CE. Intensifying raiding from competing
polities and climatic extremes further affected grain supplies for the late Tang’s northern military frontier and partly contributed to the sudden decline of the dynasty. Our results emphasize the importance of multicomponent environmental response models to understand historical transformations and provide new aspects of China’s socio-political development during medieval times.
Advances in Archaeological Practice, 2025
Computational archaeology and theoretical archaeology often appear as separate domains within the... more Computational archaeology and theoretical archaeology often appear as separate domains within the field, each driven by distinct methodologies and objectives. Through the lens of discussions held at the 2021 Central European Theoretical Archaeology Group (CE-TAG) conference and analysis of a follow-up questionnaire, this study explores the current trends and intersections between these areas to identify opportunities for meaningful integration. We highlight key challenges, such as the theoretical underpinnings of computer-assisted methods, the epistemological implications of data-driven approaches, and the need for open-science practices. Our findings emphasize the importance of mutual understanding and collaboration, particularly in research and education, in bridging divides and enhancing the synergy between these domains. By addressing shared concerns such as bias, scalability, and methodological transparency, we propose a framework for fostering innovation in both computational and theoretical archaeology while maintaining their shared goal of interpreting the human past.
Resumen La arqueología computacional y la teoría arqueológica se presentan frecuentemente como dos ámbitos claramente diferenciados, cada una con sus propios métodos y objetivos. A partir de las discusiones mantenidas durante el congreso del Grupo de Teoría Arqueológica de Europa Central (CE-TAG) en 2021, así como de las evaluaciones de un cuestionario desarrollado al efecto, el presente trabajo explora las tendencias e intersecciones actuales entre las áreas mencionadas para identificar oportunidades de integración. Resaltamos los desafíos más importantes, como las derivaciones teóricas de métodos computacionales, las implicaciones epistemológicas de los enfoques basados en datos, o la necesidad de prácticas de ciencia abierta. Nuestros hallazgos enfatizan la importancia de la colaboración y comprensión mutua, particularmente en investigación y educación, para tender puentes y reforzar las sinergias entre ambos dominios. Enfocándonos en problemas compartidos, como los sesgos, la escalaridad o la transparencia metodológica, proponemos un marco de trabajo para fomentar la innovación tanto en la arqueología computacional como en la teoría arqueológica, manteniendo su objetivo común de interpretar el pasado humano.
communications earth & environment, 2025
Bioarchaeology not only provides insights into human, animal, and environmental ecology, but also... more Bioarchaeology not only provides insights into human, animal, and environmental ecology, but also generates huge amounts of stable and radiogenic isotope data that are not well recognised by other disciplines. Here, we present potential avenues for the integration and interpretation of archaeological isotope data into environmental studies. We emphasise the large spatio-temporal scales on which isotope patterns can be observed, for example using isoscapes, the limitations and potential pitfalls that come with isotope data from archaeological research, and future cross-disciplinary collaborations between bioarchaeology and other palaeo-disciplines. Archaeology, Environmental changes and Geo
The Neolithic of the Sárköz and Adjacent Regions in Hungary: Bioarchaeological Studies , 2025
The Carpathian Basin played a key role in the process of Neolithisation and the spread of early f... more The Carpathian Basin played a key role in the process of Neolithisation and the spread of early farming from the
Balkans across Europe. Strontium and oxygen isotope analyses have proven to be useful tools to elucidate local human-
environmental interaction, mobility, and dietary habits. However, the interpretation of these data requires a
reliable local isotope baseline. This article integrates digitally processed environmental and bio-archaeologic data of
49 Neolithic sites to establish the first reliable site-specific and micro-regional baselines in Hungary, which enable the
analyses of small samples based on comprehensive multivariate modelling and unique or similar catchment compositions.
The Neolithic of the Sárköz and Adjacent Regions in Hungary: Bioarchaeological Studies , 2025
This study presents the largest strontium and oxygen isotope sample for the Neolithic Carpathian ... more This study presents the largest strontium and oxygen isotope sample for the Neolithic Carpathian Basin and discusses human mobility patterns on various geographical scales throughout archaeological cultures, chronological periods, and sex categories. The sample comprises 718 human dental enamel samples from 55 Neolithic sites spanning the period
from the Starčevo to the Balaton-Lasinja culture in Transdanubia and from the Körös to the Tiszapolgár cultural groups on the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). This diachronic multiproxy analysis illustrates individual movement
behaviour such as exogamy patterns within extensive economic and socio-cultural networks and their evolution throughout the Neolithic period.
Authors:
Margaux L. C. Depaermentier*, Michael Kempf, Alexander Mörseburg, Corina Knipper, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Judit Regenye, Anett Osztás, János Jakucs, Alexandra Anders, Judit P. Barna, Piroska Csengeri, Krisztián Oross, Katalin Sebők, László Domboróczki, Marc Fecher Kitti Köhler, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Erika Molnár, Tibor Marton, Judit Antoni, Gábor Bertók, János Dani, Ferenc Horváth, Viktória Kiss, Judit Koós, Vera Majerik, Emese Gyöngyvér Nagy, János Ódor, György Pálfi, Tibor Paluch, Pál Raczky, Mario Šlaus, Krisztina Somogyi,
Katalin Tóth, Vanda Voicsek, István Zalai-Gaál (†), Eszter Bánffy and Kurt W. Alt
Scientific Reports, 2025
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis from archaeological human and animal bone collagen is... more Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis from archaeological human and animal bone collagen is a powerful tool to enlighten past socio-agricultural systems and their close links to environmental conditions. To assess whether isotopic patterns are a function of cultural behavior or rather determined by environmental diversity, we test the spatio-temporal effects of conditional and multivariate exploratory and environmental models on stable isotope variability in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Carpathian Basin (6000-2800 BCE). Our results stress that variation in environmental settings influence both the isotope baselines and the subsistence strategies of early agricultural societies. Major shifts in isotopic patterns are, however, culturally-driven, which is particularly visible with the development and intensification of adapted agropastoral practices from 5500-5350 BCE and among the diet between different cultural groups. We conclude that socio-cultural diversity was the main driver of dietary habits and isotopic variability in early agropastoral societies of Neolithic Hungary.
Scientific Reports, 2025
This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past ... more This study explores how major climatic shifts, together with socioeconomic factors over the past two millennia, influenced buffer crop selection, focusing on five crops: rye, millet, buckwheat, oat, and hemp. For this study, we analyzed archaeobotanical data from 135 archaeological contexts and historical data from 242 manor inventories across the northeastern Baltic region, spanning the period from 100 to 1800 AD. Our findings revealed that rye remained a main staple crop throughout the studied periods reflecting environmental adaptation to northern latitudes. The drought-tolerant and thermophilic millet crop exhibited resilience during the adverse dry climatic conditions of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly while showing a significant decline during the Little Ice Age. During the period of post-1500 AD, a significant shift towards cold-resilient summer crops such as buckwheat and hemp is recorded. This study enhances our understanding of how historical agricultural systems responded to both socioeconomic factors and climatic change in northern latitudes, offering notable potential solutions for modern agricultural practices in the face of future climate variability trends.
E. Bánffy - A. Gramsch (eds): THE NEOLITHIC OF THE SÁRKÖZ AND ADJACENT REGIONS IN HUNGARY: BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES, 2024
The Carpathian Basin played a key role in the process of Neolithisation and the spread of early f... more The Carpathian Basin played a key role in the process of Neolithisation and the spread of early farming from the Balkans across Europe. Strontium and oxygen isotope analyses have proven to be useful tools to elucidate local human-environmental interaction, mobility, and dietary habits. However, the interpretation of these data requires a reliable local isotope baseline. This article integrates digitally processed environmental and bio-archaeologic data of 49 Neolithic sites to establish the first reliable site-specific and micro-regional baselines in Hungary, which enable the analyses of small samples based on comprehensive multivariate modelling and unique or similar catchment compositions.
Eszter Bánffy and Alexander Gramsch (eds): The Neolithic of the Sárköz and Adjacent Regions in Hungary: Bioarchaeological Studies, 2024
This study presents the largest strontium and oxygen isotope sample for the Neolithic Carpathian ... more This study presents the largest strontium and oxygen isotope sample for the Neolithic Carpathian Basin and discusses human mobility patterns on various geographical scales throughout archaeological cultures, chronological periods, and sex categories. The sample comprises 718 human dental enamel samples from 55 Neolithic sites spanning the period from the Starčevo to the Balaton-Lasinja culture in Transdanubia and from the Körös to the Tiszapolgár cultural groups on the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). This diachronic multiproxy analysis illustrates individual movement
behaviour such as exogamy patterns within extensive economic and socio-cultural networks and their evolution throughout the Neolithic period.
Beziehungsgeflechte im Frühen Mittelalter. Eine Fall Studie aus Basel
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Nov 6, 2022
"Cultural relationships in the early Middle Ages. A case study from Basel": The... more "Cultural relationships in the early Middle Ages. A case study from Basel": The burial sites scattered over the entire area of the canton Basel-Stadt represent the main archaeological source for the Early Middle Ages in Basel. Due to the great diversity in the grave goods and based on the interpretation of the antique written sources, the material has hitherto been interpreted ethnically, since the subdivision of the early medieval population into Romans, Alemans, Danubian-Suebi and Franks formed a basis for the interpretation. A new evaluation of the archaeological material based on the examination and reconstruction of networks using the distribution of brooch and belt types shall thus introduce new perspectives in the traditional narratives. This study showed that most of the interactions were locally or regionally determined and were focused on the High and Upper Rhine as well as in South-Western Germany. Relations to the north – especially along the River Rhine – as well as with the Burgundian area also played an important role. Differences in the distribution (especially to the west or to the east) seem to be related not only to the chronology, but also specifically to the location of the burial sites on different transport and communication axes.
Digitaler Anhang zur Dissertation von Margaux Depaermentier
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 30, 2023
Migration Narratives in ArchaeologyDaniela Hofmann, Catherine J. Frieman, Astrid J. Nyland (eds) 2023. <i>Migration Narratives in Archaeology</i> . Sidestone Press, Leiden. 72 pp. ISBN 9789464262025
Norwegian archaeological review, Mar 11, 2024
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Early Mediaeval Archaeology was long influenced by traditional narratives related to so-called Vö... more Early Mediaeval Archaeology was long influenced by traditional narratives related to so-called Völkerwanderungen. Based on the interpretation of ancient written sources, the “Migration Period” was traditionally perceived as a time of catastrophic changes triggered by the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and massive migration waves of “barbarian” groups across Europe. In the last decades, isotope analyses have been increasingly used to test these traditional narratives by exploring past mobility patterns, shifts in dietary habits, and changes in subsistence strategies or in socio-economic structures among early medieval societies. To evaluate the achievements of isotope studies in understanding the complexity of the so-called Migration Period, this paper presents a review of 50 recent publications. Instead of re-analysing the data per se, this review first explores the potentials and limitations of the various approaches introduced in the last decades. In a second step, an analys...
Bioarchaeological analyses reveal long-lasting continuity at the periphery of the Late Antique Roman Empire
iScience
The Basel-Waisenhaus burial community (Switzerland) has been traditionally interpreted as immigr... more The Basel-Waisenhaus burial community (Switzerland) has been traditionally interpreted as immigrated Alamans because of the location and dating of the burial ground – despite the typical late Roman funeral practices. To evaluate this hypothesis, multi-isotope and aDNA analyses were conducted on the eleven individuals buried there. The results show that the burial ground was occupied around AD 400 by people belonging largely to one family, whereas isotope and genetic records most probably point toward a regionally organized and indigenous, instead of an immigrated, community. This strengthens the recently advanced assumption that the withdrawal of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian limes after the ‘‘Crisis of the Third Century AD’’ was not necessarily related to a replacement of the local population by immigrated Alamannic peoples, suggesting a long-lasting continuity of occupation at the Roman periphery at the Upper and High Rhine region.
in Miera, J. (ed.): NARRATING THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EPISTEMOLOGY, EXPLANATION AND COMMUNICATION, 2023
A multi-actor behavioural approach has recently entered the discussion about resilience, (in)stab... more A multi-actor behavioural approach has recently entered the discussion about resilience, (in)stability, and system transformation in archaeology and the social sciences in general. The ecological, economic, and socio-cultural contextualization aims at integrating a processual component into the ecosystem’s functionality and the adaptive cycle of human-environmental interaction on different spatial and temporal scales. In this paper, we explore the methodological potential and limitations of the (eco)system (in)stability theory and integrate functional landscape connectivity and performative landscape affordances into a human-environment response model. Our approach contributes to complex system theory from the perspective of the landscape and what we think can be termed ecosystem archaeology with a focus on resilience theory. We suggest resilience not as static construction but rather as a constant adaptation to augmented system insecurity and a dramatically increased risk of collapse
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Conference Presentations by Margaux Depaermentier
1. The production of space and landscape: theoretical framework
The first part of this conference focuses on the construction of space on different sociological and archaeological levels. Cognitive, material, anthropogenic and environmental spheres are not always and necessarily congruent. Archaeologists might be able to grasp the expansion of an idea or the function of a things's sphere. Although the equation of the spatial requirement and the actual expansion of a human action area need to be reconsidered.
2. The production of space and landscape: applied theory
A second part deals with possible applications, methodological approaches and solution strategies to access and model human behaviour in landscape. In this context, the surrounding landscape is understood as the ordering body of the individual or group‘s spatial extent. However, we must ask to what degree it is possible to model mental constructions of space and landscape. This section considers the possibility of differentiating landscapes into physical and cognitive categories. We welcome approaches from archaeology as well as neighbouring diciplines to gather further multidisciplinary insights.
We consider communications of 15 minutes with a subsequent five minutes discussion.
The official language of the conference is English.
Organising committee: Michael Kempf, Margaux Depaermentier, Archaeological Institute, Dep. Early Medieval and Medieval Archaeology, University of Freiburg.
Please send abstracts (250 words) of your paper proposals including your contact and affiliation details by 15th June 2018 to [email protected]
à l’occasion des 20 ans du / anlässlich des 20-jährigen Jubiläums des
Collegium Beatus Rhenanus
Migrations, mobilité et transferts culturels: le cas des régions frontalières dans l’Antiquité
Migrationen, Mobilität und Kulturtransfer: Grenzregionen in der Antike
Les 2-4 novembre 2017 / 2.-4. November 2017
Salle des Conseils (MU, Mulhouse), Salle des Conférences (MISHA, Strasbourg)
Papers by Margaux Depaermentier
present a multicomponent hydroclimatic vulnerability model for crop supply networks to estimate the contribution of climatic stressors as one of several factors contributing to the decline of the late Tang Dynasty in northern China between 800 and 907 CE. We demonstrate that recurrent flooding and
prolonged droughts, combined with an unsustainable shift in crop production from drought-tolerant millet to less resilient wheat and rice, led to harvest failures and food shortages during the cooler and drier climatic conditions of the late 9th and early 10th centuries CE. Intensifying raiding from competing
polities and climatic extremes further affected grain supplies for the late Tang’s northern military frontier and partly contributed to the sudden decline of the dynasty. Our results emphasize the importance of multicomponent environmental response models to understand historical transformations and provide new aspects of China’s socio-political development during medieval times.
Resumen La arqueología computacional y la teoría arqueológica se presentan frecuentemente como dos ámbitos claramente diferenciados, cada una con sus propios métodos y objetivos. A partir de las discusiones mantenidas durante el congreso del Grupo de Teoría Arqueológica de Europa Central (CE-TAG) en 2021, así como de las evaluaciones de un cuestionario desarrollado al efecto, el presente trabajo explora las tendencias e intersecciones actuales entre las áreas mencionadas para identificar oportunidades de integración. Resaltamos los desafíos más importantes, como las derivaciones teóricas de métodos computacionales, las implicaciones epistemológicas de los enfoques basados en datos, o la necesidad de prácticas de ciencia abierta. Nuestros hallazgos enfatizan la importancia de la colaboración y comprensión mutua, particularmente en investigación y educación, para tender puentes y reforzar las sinergias entre ambos dominios. Enfocándonos en problemas compartidos, como los sesgos, la escalaridad o la transparencia metodológica, proponemos un marco de trabajo para fomentar la innovación tanto en la arqueología computacional como en la teoría arqueológica, manteniendo su objetivo común de interpretar el pasado humano.
Balkans across Europe. Strontium and oxygen isotope analyses have proven to be useful tools to elucidate local human-
environmental interaction, mobility, and dietary habits. However, the interpretation of these data requires a
reliable local isotope baseline. This article integrates digitally processed environmental and bio-archaeologic data of
49 Neolithic sites to establish the first reliable site-specific and micro-regional baselines in Hungary, which enable the
analyses of small samples based on comprehensive multivariate modelling and unique or similar catchment compositions.
from the Starčevo to the Balaton-Lasinja culture in Transdanubia and from the Körös to the Tiszapolgár cultural groups on the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). This diachronic multiproxy analysis illustrates individual movement
behaviour such as exogamy patterns within extensive economic and socio-cultural networks and their evolution throughout the Neolithic period.
Authors:
Margaux L. C. Depaermentier*, Michael Kempf, Alexander Mörseburg, Corina Knipper, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Judit Regenye, Anett Osztás, János Jakucs, Alexandra Anders, Judit P. Barna, Piroska Csengeri, Krisztián Oross, Katalin Sebők, László Domboróczki, Marc Fecher Kitti Köhler, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Erika Molnár, Tibor Marton, Judit Antoni, Gábor Bertók, János Dani, Ferenc Horváth, Viktória Kiss, Judit Koós, Vera Majerik, Emese Gyöngyvér Nagy, János Ódor, György Pálfi, Tibor Paluch, Pál Raczky, Mario Šlaus, Krisztina Somogyi,
Katalin Tóth, Vanda Voicsek, István Zalai-Gaál (†), Eszter Bánffy and Kurt W. Alt
behaviour such as exogamy patterns within extensive economic and socio-cultural networks and their evolution throughout the Neolithic period.