Archaeological science of organic materials – Brandt Group

The Brandt group works at the intersection of archaeology and the natural sciences to explore complex themes such as society, identity, technology, economy, and trade based on analyses of organic, archaeological materials.

Pels og sværd

Research focus

Our research focuses primarily on the use of archaeological science methods to identify and characterise materials such as leather, fur, fibres, and bone with the aim of contributing to broad and complex themes such as society, identity, technology, economy, and trade. To be able to address such questions, we are constantly working on developing and applying new methods to optimize biomolecule recovery, detection, interpretation, but also establishing win-win collaborations in Denmark and abroad. We are an interdisciplinary team working from a passion for archaeological science and with an intention to make our research meaningful for the larger public through dissemination and citizen science.

Key publications

Brandt, L.Ø., Mackie, M, Daragan, M, Collins, MJ & Gleba, M 2023, 'Human and animal skin identified by palaeoproteomics in Scythian leather objects from Ukraine', PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 12, e0294129.

Brandt, L.Ø., Taurozzi, A.J., Mackie, M., Sinding, M.-H. S., Vieira, F. G., Schmidt, A.L., Rimstad, C., Collins, M. J. and Mannering, U. 2022,: 'Palaeoproteomics identifies beaver fur in Danish high-status Viking Age burials - direct evidence of fur trade'. PLoS ONE 17(7): e0270040.

Brandt, L. Ø., Lillemark, M. R., Rytter, M., Collins, M. J. and Tøttrup, A. P. 2021, 'Next Generation Lab puts Denmark's past in the hands of its future', Antiquity, vol. 96, issue 385.

Link to all publications