Molecular signature of Late Bronze Age archaeological layers preserved in littoral settings in Lake le Bourget (French Alps).

Abstract : The Final Bronze Age was a key period for Human history in the Alps since numerous human occupations developed on lake shores attest to an increased anthropication of alpine ecosystems at that time [1]. Successions of abandonment and occupations were most probably climatically-driven through lacustrine level variations [2]. Our recent results on a sediment core drilled in Lake le Bourget provide a detailed record of the evolution of past human activities for this period by using a molecular biomarker specific of millet cultivation [3]. These original results motivated the research of new molecular biomarkers of human activities.