Mighty men and miniscule molecules – the stories and the science of ancient DNA
Join us for a public lecture by Professor Anna Källén, Umeå University.
Abstract
Over the past decade, our understanding of the ancient past has been increasingly influenced by genetic science in archaeological research and popular media. With methodological breakthroughs known as ‘high-throughput sequencing’, ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses have become a staple in archaeological science. Leveraged by long-standing popular images of DNA as a complete ‘book of life’, popular culture icons like Jurassic Park, and a general public trust in DNA as evidence, studies of aDNA have had an extraordinary academic and popular breakthrough as a superior source of facts about people in ancient times. Studies of minuscule molecules have been presented as vibrant stories of fierce women and mighty men in dramatic migrations, laying the foundations for present-day identities and political entities.
This talk will discuss the study of ancient DNA as a practice involving both science and storytelling. Homing in on the details of some well-known aDNA studies, we will see how science and storytelling are intimately entwined in successful aDNA research. Contrary to widespread claims that the pure vision and fact-finding power of genetic science will make archaeological storytelling redundant, we can observe that the recent influx of genetic science has stimulated dramatisation, resulting in an increase in grand storytelling in academic and popular archaeology. What do these observations mean for the future of archaeology and our common understanding of the ancient past? If we agree that aDNA studies are a practice involving both science and storytelling, to what extent are the new grand stories of the ancient past predicated on the formats and methodological constraints of genetic science? What are the broader benefits and potential perils of grand stories of prehistory hinging on ancient DNA?
Anna Källén is a professor and chair of museology at Umeå University in Sweden. She has a background in archaeology and heritage studies, and was PI of the multidisciplinary research project Code Narrative History – making sense of ancient DNA in contemporary culture (2018–22). The talk departs from her most recent book, The Trouble with Ancient DNA: Telling Stories of the Ancient Past with Genomic Science (The University of Chicago Press, 2025). Among her other books are Heritage and Borders (2019), The Archaeologist In-Between (2021), and Critical Perspectives on Ancient DNA (2024).
The lecture is part of the School of Archaeology Lecture Series.
After the lecture, we invite you to stay for a glass of wine and snacks.
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