Parmaksız, R., Demarchi, B. & Yeomans, L. (2026) Birds Through Time in Türkiye: Morphological and Proteomic Approaches to Archaeological Avifauna. Turkish Journal of Archaeological Sciences. 6, 24-41.
https://en.arkeolojibilimleridergisi.org/tjas-6-parmaksiz-et-al
Türkiye has sustained a dynamic ecosystem from prehistory to the present, characterized by its rich biogeography and natural resources. Birds, one of the most active components of this ecosystem, have always maintained a close relationship with human communities and are currently represented by more than 500 species in Türkiye. When examined in an archaeological context, birds play a significant role in understanding past environments and climates; the cultural and symbolic life of prehistoric humans and human-environment entanglement. In this study, 97 zooarchaeological studies conducted at 94 archaeological sites across Türkiye were compiled and subjected to meta-data analysis to assess the extent to which birds have been studied in archaeological contexts.
Our study shows that, despite the recent increase in zooarchaeological research in Türkiye, there are still significant gaps in the study of birds. After identifying the possible reasons for these gaps, we offer several research suggestions. The key suggestions for enabling high-quality analyses of bird eggs and bones —which are crucial for understanding past environmental conditions, seasonality, and early bird management— include: establishing a comprehensive ornithoarchaeological reference collection in Türkiye, training specialists interested in archaeological bird remains, and employing ancient protein analyses (paleoproteomics), which allow the identification of highly fragmented remains with high success rates. Additionally, within the scope of this study, recent rapid developments in paleoproteomics are briefly reviewed, and the methods are introduced.
Codlin, M.C., Yeomans, L., Stiller, J. et al. A library of avian proteins improves palaeoproteomic taxonomic identification and reveals widespread intraspecies variability. Nat Commun 16, 8820 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63886-1
Biomolecules offer unparalleled insights into ancient life, from evolutionary pathways of organisms to the health and cultural practices of our ancestors. Biomineral-associated proteins, such as those found in bone, teeth, and eggshell, have become instrumental for studying ancient life, as they often endure post-mortem degradation far longer than DNA. Harnessing advancements in avian genomics, we annotate bone and eggshell protein sequences for 112 Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) species, a biologically complex group of birds that are also central to many archaeological and ecological questions.
While palaeoproteomics (the study of ancient proteins by mass spectrometry) conventionally assumes that protein sequences vary only at the species level or above, our research demonstrates widespread evidence for single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs) occurring within-species.
Yeomans, L. Zooarchaeology of Managed, Captive, Tame, and Domestic Birds: Shifts in Human–Avian Relationships. J Archaeol Res (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-024-09206-5
In this paper, the author reviews archaeological evidence for shifting human–avian interactions. Many species of birds, altering their behavior in response to anthropogenic niche construction, experienced an increased encounter rate with humans. Intensification of this relationship led to management and domestication of some taxa.
An examination of the methods zooarchaeologists employ to study this changing interaction illustrates the limitations of evidence. Art history, architecture, historical sources, evidence based on modern distributions, and DNA analysis fill in some gaps in our knowledge. It is necessary to develop novel methods to investigate the earlier history of bird–human interactions.