"This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities and science. To ensure the highest quality in both archeology and genetics, researchers in both disciplines are involved from beginning to end," says Anders Götherström of the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University.
 
Anders Götherström and Jan Storå at the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University and Mattias Jakobsson, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, have a history of successful collaboration behind them, and they are now building on this foundation, together with a number of researchers from different subject areas.
 
"In recent years, we have got to grips with some classic archaeological problems and archaeogenetics offers unique opportunities to do this. It does however require cooperation across disciplinary boundaries, and I think we have been able to benefit significantly from our different skills. We will learn a great deal about our history," says Jan Storå at Osteoarchaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University.
 
"We will generate unique genetic data from a large time span and for a large number of individuals. Using this data together with new tools used in population genetics, we will be able to describe the demographic history of Scandinavia in a completely revolutionary way," says Mattias Jakobsson.
 

Genetic information from nearly 400 individuals

When the project is completed in six years, Jakobsson, Götherström and Storå hope to have a much better picture of the people who lived and died in Scandinavia since the end of the ice age. They expect to have genetic information from nearly 400 prehistoric individuals, and entire genomes from twenty-five of these. Additionally, all data and research results are to be made freely available via a portal open to both specialists and interested laymen.