Estonian Roots: Centre of Excellence for transdisciplinary studies on ethnogenesis and cultural diversity

The synergy of Humanities and Natural Sciences allows the Center of Excellence (CoE) to clarify the formation of cultural and genetic diversity in Estonia and neighboring areas. CoE will develop a new transdisciplinary framework for the study of interactions between people, cultures, and environment. CoE focuses on the evolution of peoples and cultures on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea since the first arrivals of people after the Last Glacial Maximum, analyzed in a novel areal and ecological context, allowing to map the impact of abiotic (climate) and biotic (flora, fauna) factors on human cultures and populations. CoE facilitates synergistic approaches in archaeogenetics, palaeoecology, studies of culture and linguistics, enabling detailed syntheses on the development of populations, environment, and culture of this region in the European context.