The ERC Synergy Grant FORAGER: Alternative Trajectories for Human Demographic Growth in Pre-Agricultural Societies has officially begun. The project investigates how human populations grew and adapted before the advent of agriculture.
Bringing together demographic, biological, and cultural perspectives, FORAGER aims to identify the mechanisms linking environmental change, population dynamics, subsistence practices, mobility, and cultural evolution. Through this integrated approach, the researchers will examine how Holocene foraging communities responded to changing conditions and explore the factors behind periods of resilience and innovation across different regions and time periods.
The project was launched with a kick-off meeting held in July at the University of York. More than 30 researchers gathered for three days to establish the foundations of the collaboration and discuss the research agenda for the next five years. The meeting also provided an opportunity for team members to get to know one another and exchange ideas for the project’s future work.
The University of Tartu was represented by Ester Oras, Mari Tõrv, and Aivar Kriiska. As part of the consortium, the University of Tartu contributes expertise on food and livelihoods in the Eastern Baltic region, while also compiling and synthesising data from across the wider Baltic area. FORAGER is led by four PIs – Oliver Craig from University of York, Enrico Crema from University of Cambridge, Peter Jordan from Lund University, and Anna Prentiss from University of Montana. University of Tartu and National Museum of Denmark are the beneficiaries of the FORAGER and University of Tokyo, Université Laval, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties act as partners of the project.
Read more about the project in ut.ee web news (in estonian): https://sisu.ut.ee/eestijuured/euroopa-teadusnoukogu-grandi-toel-motestatakse-umber-kuttimise-ja-koriluse-roll-rahvastiku-kiires-kasvus/
Or check out the project’s website: https://www.forager-erc.eu/home