1.1 Purpose and Objectives of the Manual
Bioarchaeological research integrates methods from diverse disciplines—archaeology, biology, chemistry, and computational sciences—to reconstruct past human lifeways and environmental interactions. This interdisciplinary integration 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 PaleoMIX project members and the wider academic community. Specifically, the manual aims to:
- Provide comprehensive guidelines for managing and documenting bioarchaeological data from fieldwork to laboratory analysis and computational modelling.
- Enhance collaboration between field archaeologists, laboratory scientists, data analysts, and computational specialists.
- Promote open science principles and facilitate the dissemination of high-quality, reusable data and reliable, reproducible, and interoperable bioarchaeological research outputs.
- Serve as an evolving educational and reference resource tailored to current and future research projects.
This manual is structured as a wiki for continuous cooperative development and adaptation to meet emerging research needs and technological advances.
1.2 Scope and Audience
This manual is primarily intended for bioarchaeologists, laboratory analysts, computational researchers, database developers, and students. It provides detailed workflows for handling various bioarchaeological data types, including ancient DNA, proteins, stable isotopes, lipids, microfossils, and radiocarbon dates. By bridging methodological and disciplinary divides, this manual seeks to provide a unified understanding to the interdisciplinary research community involved.
The manual is mostly based on the implementation of PaleoMIX O.A.D within the archaeological data platform of the Archaeology Department of the University of Tartu (ARHUT). It closely aligns with the PaleoMIX Data Management Plan, adhering to the FAIR data principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Method-specific lab protocols are stored externally but hyperlinked within the manual for easy access. This structure ensures clarity, avoids duplication, and maintains the most current guidelines.