Archaeogenetics

Archaeogenetics, a term coined by, refers to the application of the techniques of to the study of the  past. This can involve:


 * the analysis of recovered from, i.e. ancient DNA;
 * the analysis of DNA from modern populations (including humans and domestic plant and animal species) in order to study human past and the genetic legacy of human interaction with the ; and
 * the application of statistical methods developed by molecular geneticists to archaeological data.

The topic has its origins in the study of and the realisation that this classical  provides information about the relationships between  and  groupings. Early work in this field included that of and,  and. From the onwards,  used classical genetic markers to examine the  population of, culminating in the publication of The History and Geography of Human Genes in.

Since then, the genetic history of all of our major domestic plants (e.g., wheat, rice, maize) and animals (e.g., cattle, goats, pigs, horses) has been analysed. Models for the timing and of their domestication and subsequent husbandry have been put forward, mainly based on  variation, though other markers are currently being analysed to supplement the genetic narrative (e.g., the  for describing the history of the male ).