Miss Izzy Davis

My research interests are focused on prehistoric subsistance practices and the impact of agriculture on human diet, in addition to the application of scientific techniques to archaeological research. My research aims to assess the importance of aquatic food resources to the first farming socities in central Europe at the onset of the Neolithic period. This is a key period of central European genetic and cultural history, marked by the introduction of domestic animals and crops and ceramic technolgoy to from around 5500 cal BC. However, aspects of the Neolithic trajectory in this region remain fragmentary, including the potential role of fish and other aquatic resources alongside domestic livestock. 

This investigation of aquatic resource exploitation will involve analysis of  lipids preserved in archaeological pottery, zooarchaeological analysis, and compound-specific radiocarbon dating of pottery lipid extracts. This highly interdisciplinary approach aims to provide a greater understanding of the Neolithic transition in central Europe and highlight the importance of aquatic ecosystems to past human populations.