Abstract:
This thesis explores the conceptual and methodological basis for detecting and interpreting
kinship in the archaeological record. It argues that a conceptual shift is needed to produce
nuanced and unbiased reconstructions of potential kin relations. This need is supported by the
disconnect between sociocultural concepts of kinship and bioarchaeological interpretations of
past relationships. Social anthropology recognises kinship as a flexible and socially
constructed system for organising familial relationships. Nevertheless, bioarchaeological
research often implements a genealogical, procreation-based kinship model, potentially
representing a form of cultural colonialism that overlooks the variability of kinship systems
within and between cultures.
The primary methods used for local-level kinship analysis are based on establishing patterns
of genetic similarity between individuals. Developments in ancient DNA sequencing have
provided a useful technique increasingly used in bioarchaeology. Underpinning the
application of this technique is the prioritisation of genetic data, which implicitly supports the
idea that kinship relationships are formed solely through biogenetic links, with little regard
for social processes that form familial relationships. The separation of genetic data from other
bioarchaeological data impedes reconstructing more complex interpersonal relations in the
past.
This thesis uses a systematic review to examine the concepts and data previously used as the
basis for kinship reconstruction, empirically establishing the disconnect between social
anthropology and bioarchaeology while making recommendations for future research. The
findings indicate that the variability of kinship systems is frequently unrepresented, and the
validity of ancient DNA results can frequently be questioned, highlighting the need to move
away from the essentialist argument about the role of DNA and kinship toward a more
integrated, biosocial approach. This thesis also provides recommendations for future research
to incorporate biological and archaeological data to interpret kinship and demonstrates how
an inclusive approach might more effectively use the available bioarchaeological data to
hopefully provide more comprehensive, culturally sensitive reconstructions of relationships
in past populations via a simple social network analysis.