ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Atlantic Slave Trade, Portugal, Shell midden, Biomolecular archaeology, Ancient DNA, Radiocarbon dating, Stable isotopes, Parish records
Zusammenfassung:
Cabeço da Amoreira is a well-studied shell midden with a robust chronology based on a large number of radiocarbon dates on Mesolithic human burials. Surprisingly, we discovered one individual that lived about 400 years ago buried in this site. We employed a multidisciplinary approach integrating archaeology, historical records, genetics, radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis to investigate the biogeographic origins of this individual and burial circumstances. We could determine that this was a man of West African origin, probably from Senegambia, arriving in Portugal via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Our study provides new insights into aspects of the life and death of a first-generation African individual in Portugal during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade period and highlights the power of multidisciplinary research to unravel unwritten history.