Books by Matthew C Curtis
Articles by Matthew C Curtis
Nature, 2022
Models for the expression of human behavioural complexity during the Late Pleistocene (around 125... more Models for the expression of human behavioural complexity during the Late Pleistocene (around 125-12 thousand years ago (ka)) often invoke demographic change 1,2. By around 50 ka, technological innovations and symbolic behaviours (such as ornaments, bone tools, pigments and microliths) that were present earlier in the Middle Stone Age (MSA) become more consistently expressed across sub-Saharan Africa 4,6,7. Archaeologists refer to this as the transition to the Later Stone Age (LSA) 1,7-9. By around 20 ka, these material culture components were nearly ubiquitous, but regionally diverse. One explanation is that people began living in larger and/or more connected groups, with variations in population size and connectivity driving differences in material culture across space and time. Given the morphological variation among Late Pleistocene skeletons, interactions may have involved deeply structured populations 2,10 , consistent with some population history models based on genetics 3. The advent of genome-wide ancient DNA (aDNA) technology holds promise for better understanding major changes in material culture and hypothesized demographic shifts among ancient African foragers (Supplementary Notes 1, 2). Compared to elsewhere, especially Europe, there has been little genomic investigation of ancient African peoples. Previously available aDNA sequences from sub-Saharan African foraging contexts 11-14 , despite being relatively recent (younger than about 9 ka), provide evidence of ancient genetic structure that has since been disrupted by demographic transformations (such as the spread of food production, as well as colonialism, imperialism, enslavement and modern sociopolitical reorganization). The structure of ancient populations cannot be robustly reconstructed based solely on genetic data from present-day people. Here we present new genome-wide aDNA data and radiocarbon dates from three Late Pleistocene and three early to middle Holocene individuals associated with LSA technologies at five sites in eastern and
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) , 2021
The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and
disease, but little is known ab... more The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and
disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or
evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the
evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome,
we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including
Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans,
chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler
monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily
biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African
hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with
howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral
members since before the catarrhine–platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya.
However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies
do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of
Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and
functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to
100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both
Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional
adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent
Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by
oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet.
We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral
bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that
is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in
the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human
evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a
temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.
African Archaeological Review, 2020
The Boreda elders of southern Ethiopia requested that we create maps highlighting the locations o... more The Boreda elders of southern Ethiopia requested that we create maps highlighting the locations of their historic settlements and sacred groves. Community elders led us along winding footpaths that ascended to nine mountaintops that had been occupied since the early thirteenth century and were abandoned nearly 100 years ago. Surrounding these historic communities are Boreda sacred groves with springs, caves, and boulders that are physical evidence in their Indigenous religion of the animation of the non-human world. Yet, the tree canopies also harbor walls, berms, and trenches that suggest a history of conflict. Thematic maps of these places and their landscapes illustrate the strategic alignment of Boreda sacred-fortified forested monuments, which spatially correspond to their oral traditions and histories recounting their resistance against neighboring slave raiders and the Northern Ethiopian state. By integrating precise spatial relationships with community knowledge of places and histories, we demonstrate the power of this knowledge in documenting precolonial histories.
African Archaeological Review, 2019
Over three field seasons between 2007 and 2012, we excavated three caves-Mota, Tuwatey, and Gulo-... more Over three field seasons between 2007 and 2012, we excavated three caves-Mota, Tuwatey, and Gulo-situated at an average elevation of 2,084 m above sea level in the cool and moist Boreda Gamo Highlands of southwestern Ethiopia. Anthropogenic deposits in these caves date from the Middle to Late Holocene (ca. 6000 to 100 BP) and provide excellent preservation of material culture, fauna, flora, and human skeletal remains from which to investigate changes in technologies and habitat use over the last several thousand years. Here, we present results and interpretations, suggesting ways in which Ho-locene communities of the Boreda Gamo Highlands
African Archaeological Review, 2019
Over three field seasons between 2007 and
2012, we excavated three caves—Mota, Tuwatey, and
Gulo—... more Over three field seasons between 2007 and
2012, we excavated three caves—Mota, Tuwatey, and
Gulo—situated at an average elevation of 2,084 m above
sea level in the cool and moist Boreda Gamo Highlands of
southwestern Ethiopia. Anthropogenic deposits in these
caves date from the Middle to Late Holocene (ca. 6000
to 100 BP) and provide excellent preservation of material
culture, fauna, flora, and human skeletal remains from
which to investigate changes in technologies and habitat
use over the last several thousand years. Here, we present
results and interpretations, suggesting ways in which Holocene
communities of the Boreda Gamo Highlands constructed
new landscapes and technologies in their transition
from hunting and gathering to an agropastoral way of life.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, 2019
Mauro Coltorti, Pierluigi Pieruccini, Kathryn J. W. Arthur, John W. Arthur, Matthew C. Curtis
Quaternary International, 2018
Joséphine Lesur, John W. Arthur, Kathryn Weedman Arthur, Matthew C. Curtis
The Omotic-speaking G... more Joséphine Lesur, John W. Arthur, Kathryn Weedman Arthur, Matthew C. Curtis
The Omotic-speaking Gamo represent one of the southern Ethiopia societies that are organized in a widely recognized caste system. The history of this society and the development of its caste organization are still largely unknown. Between 2006 and 2012, we organized a collaborative project with people of the Gamo district of Boreda in an effort to combine their oral traditions and life histories with archaeological investigations regarding the history of their present-day caste system. Elders claimed nine mountain-top landscapes as the original locations for Boreda settlement. One of these settlements, Garu, is an abandoned historic village site of about 60 hectares that was occupied during the 18 th-19th century CE. Archaeozoological results from Garu suggest some continuity in the practices of leatherworkers particularly in their access to specific animal parts for consumption and processing. From a methodo-logical point of view, this study illustrates how atypical data can be used to understand the diversity of animal use and provide original leads in the interpretation of prehistoric sites elsewhere. Importantly, cattle remains from Garu indicate the earliest evidence of Zebu cattle from southern Ethiopia dating to the mid-18th century.
Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 2017
Kathryn Weedman Arthur, Yohannes Ethiopia Tocha, Matthew C. Curtis, John W. Arthur
M. Gallego Llorente, E. R. Jones, A. Eriksson, V. Siska, K. W. Arthur, J. W. Arthur, M. C. Curtis... more M. Gallego Llorente, E. R. Jones, A. Eriksson, V. Siska, K. W. Arthur, J. W. Arthur, M. C. Curtis, J. T. Stock, M. Coltorti, P. Pieruccini, S. Stretton, F. Brock, T. Higham, Y. Park, M. Hofreiter, D. G. Bradley, J. Bhak, R. Pinhasi, A. Manica
Characterizing genetic diversity in Africa is a crucial step for most analyses
reconstructing the evolutionary history of anatomically modern humans. However,
historic migrations from Eurasia into Africa have affected many contemporary
populations, confounding inferences. Here, we present a 12.5× coverage ancient genome of an Ethiopian male (“Mota”) who lived approximately 4500 years ago. We use this genome to demonstrate that the Eurasian backflow into Africa came from a population closely related to Early Neolithic farmers, who had colonized Europe 4000 years earlier.
Archaeological research carried out between 1998 and 2003 on the Asmara Plateau of Eritrea has pr... more Archaeological research carried out between 1998 and 2003 on the Asmara Plateau of Eritrea has provided new insights concerning the development of early-to-mid first millennium BC settled agropastoral communities in the northern Horn of Africa. The settlement, subsistence, and material culture of these communities in the greater Asmara area, referred to as the "Ancient Ona culture," bear both unique qualities and striking similarities to coeval communities in Tigray, Ethiopia. This article provides an overview of regional settlement data and ceramic and lithic traditions from the greater Asmara area, drawing comparisons to other contexts of this period in the archaeology of the wider northern Horn. It is argued that we can see among the Ancient Ona sites distinct localized cultural expressions and development as well as strong links to a wider first millennium BC macrocultural identity.
Däqämhare, Dungur, Edäga Hamus, Enda Kaleb, Enda Maryam Mägdälawit, Enda Mikael, Enda Səmcon, Fəyqa, Gash Group, Gobədra, Gona, Gulo Mäkäda, Hadar, Ham, and Hawəlti. Encyclopedia articles in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Volume 2
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Books by Matthew C Curtis
Articles by Matthew C Curtis
disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or
evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the
evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome,
we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including
Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans,
chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler
monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily
biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African
hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with
howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral
members since before the catarrhine–platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya.
However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies
do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of
Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and
functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to
100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both
Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional
adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent
Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by
oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet.
We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral
bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that
is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in
the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human
evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a
temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.
2012, we excavated three caves—Mota, Tuwatey, and
Gulo—situated at an average elevation of 2,084 m above
sea level in the cool and moist Boreda Gamo Highlands of
southwestern Ethiopia. Anthropogenic deposits in these
caves date from the Middle to Late Holocene (ca. 6000
to 100 BP) and provide excellent preservation of material
culture, fauna, flora, and human skeletal remains from
which to investigate changes in technologies and habitat
use over the last several thousand years. Here, we present
results and interpretations, suggesting ways in which Holocene
communities of the Boreda Gamo Highlands constructed
new landscapes and technologies in their transition
from hunting and gathering to an agropastoral way of life.
The Omotic-speaking Gamo represent one of the southern Ethiopia societies that are organized in a widely recognized caste system. The history of this society and the development of its caste organization are still largely unknown. Between 2006 and 2012, we organized a collaborative project with people of the Gamo district of Boreda in an effort to combine their oral traditions and life histories with archaeological investigations regarding the history of their present-day caste system. Elders claimed nine mountain-top landscapes as the original locations for Boreda settlement. One of these settlements, Garu, is an abandoned historic village site of about 60 hectares that was occupied during the 18 th-19th century CE. Archaeozoological results from Garu suggest some continuity in the practices of leatherworkers particularly in their access to specific animal parts for consumption and processing. From a methodo-logical point of view, this study illustrates how atypical data can be used to understand the diversity of animal use and provide original leads in the interpretation of prehistoric sites elsewhere. Importantly, cattle remains from Garu indicate the earliest evidence of Zebu cattle from southern Ethiopia dating to the mid-18th century.
Characterizing genetic diversity in Africa is a crucial step for most analyses
reconstructing the evolutionary history of anatomically modern humans. However,
historic migrations from Eurasia into Africa have affected many contemporary
populations, confounding inferences. Here, we present a 12.5× coverage ancient genome of an Ethiopian male (“Mota”) who lived approximately 4500 years ago. We use this genome to demonstrate that the Eurasian backflow into Africa came from a population closely related to Early Neolithic farmers, who had colonized Europe 4000 years earlier.
disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or
evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the
evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome,
we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including
Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans,
chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler
monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily
biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African
hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with
howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral
members since before the catarrhine–platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya.
However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies
do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of
Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and
functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to
100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both
Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional
adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent
Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by
oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet.
We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral
bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that
is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in
the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human
evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a
temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.
2012, we excavated three caves—Mota, Tuwatey, and
Gulo—situated at an average elevation of 2,084 m above
sea level in the cool and moist Boreda Gamo Highlands of
southwestern Ethiopia. Anthropogenic deposits in these
caves date from the Middle to Late Holocene (ca. 6000
to 100 BP) and provide excellent preservation of material
culture, fauna, flora, and human skeletal remains from
which to investigate changes in technologies and habitat
use over the last several thousand years. Here, we present
results and interpretations, suggesting ways in which Holocene
communities of the Boreda Gamo Highlands constructed
new landscapes and technologies in their transition
from hunting and gathering to an agropastoral way of life.
The Omotic-speaking Gamo represent one of the southern Ethiopia societies that are organized in a widely recognized caste system. The history of this society and the development of its caste organization are still largely unknown. Between 2006 and 2012, we organized a collaborative project with people of the Gamo district of Boreda in an effort to combine their oral traditions and life histories with archaeological investigations regarding the history of their present-day caste system. Elders claimed nine mountain-top landscapes as the original locations for Boreda settlement. One of these settlements, Garu, is an abandoned historic village site of about 60 hectares that was occupied during the 18 th-19th century CE. Archaeozoological results from Garu suggest some continuity in the practices of leatherworkers particularly in their access to specific animal parts for consumption and processing. From a methodo-logical point of view, this study illustrates how atypical data can be used to understand the diversity of animal use and provide original leads in the interpretation of prehistoric sites elsewhere. Importantly, cattle remains from Garu indicate the earliest evidence of Zebu cattle from southern Ethiopia dating to the mid-18th century.
Characterizing genetic diversity in Africa is a crucial step for most analyses
reconstructing the evolutionary history of anatomically modern humans. However,
historic migrations from Eurasia into Africa have affected many contemporary
populations, confounding inferences. Here, we present a 12.5× coverage ancient genome of an Ethiopian male (“Mota”) who lived approximately 4500 years ago. We use this genome to demonstrate that the Eurasian backflow into Africa came from a population closely related to Early Neolithic farmers, who had colonized Europe 4000 years earlier.