Archaeogenetics

Recent developments in molecular genetics are currently transforming our understanding of the population history of the world. The application to the prehistory and history of Europe was the focus of an interdisplinary meeting held in Cambridge in 1999 as a Euroconference of the Human Genome Diversity group. The papers prescribe the latest developments in this fast-moving are, with a clear and accessible discussion of the results of mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome analysis, and their integration with the archaeological and climatic record. This text outline and illustrates the scope and potential of the rapidly developing field of archaeogenetics, where molecular genetics promises to transform our understanding of prehistory and archaeology of Europe and beyond.