1.1 Purpose and Objectives of the Manual
Bioarchaeological research integrates methods from diverse disciplines—archaeologydisciplines – archaeology, biology, chemistry, and computational sciences—to sciences– toreconstruct past human lifeways and environmental interactions. This interdisciplinary integration The integration of different disciplines generates complex workflows and data ecosystems. The purpose of this manual is to document these processes, thereby creating a description of best practices accessible to PaleoMIXpracticesaccessible toPaleoMIX project members and the wider academic community. Specifically, the manual aims to:
Provide
comprehensiveguidelines for managing and documenting
bioarchaeologicalarchaeological and biomolecular data from fieldwork (sampling) to laboratory analysis and computational
modellingmodelling.
Describe data flows from sampling, documentation, to analysis, and dissemination to ensure data consistency within the research group and in external collaboration.
Offer guidelines for planning cross-disciplinary biomolecular research.
Enhance collaboration between field archaeologists, museum curators, laboratory scientists, data analysts, and computational specialists.
Promote open science principles and facilitate the dissemination of high-quality, reusable data and reliable,
reproduciblereproducible, and interoperable bioarchaeological research outputs.
Serve as an evolving educational and reference resource tailored to current and future research projects.
Promote ethical research on heritage objects.
This manual is structured as as a wiki for continuous cooperative development and adaptation to meet emerging research needs and technological advances.
1.2 Scope and Audience
Thismanualisprimarilyintendedforbioarchaeologistsprimarilyintendedforbio(molecular) archaeologists, museumcurators, laboratoryanalysts, computationalresearchers, databasedevelopers, and students. Itprovidesdetailedmainworkflowsforhandlingvariousbioarchaeologicalbiomoleculardatatypes, includingancientDNA, proteins, stableisotopes, lipids, microfossils, and radiocarbon dates. By bridgingmethodological and disciplinarydivides, thismanualseekstoprovide a unifiedunderstandingto the interdisciplinaryresearchcommunityinvolvedThis manual unifies key bioarchaeological workflows to support collaboration across methods and disciplines.
The manualis mostly based on the implementation of PaleoMIXbased on the implementation of PaleoMIXOpen Archaeological Database (O.A.D.) within the archaeological data platform of the Archaeology Department of the University of Tartu (ARHUT).ItcloselyalignswiththePaleoMIXData Management Plan, adhering to the FAIR data principles—Findableprinciples–Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Method-specificlabprotocols are storedexternallybuthyperlinkedwithinthemanualforeasyaccess.Thisstructureensuresclarity, avoidsduplication, and maintainsthemostcurrentguidelines.