Chiara Barbieri
Biographic Data
| ID | 3584935 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Chiara Barbieri |
| GIVEN NAMES | Chiara |
| FAMILY NAME | Barbieri |
| SIGNATURE | BARBIERI C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Zurich |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8827-5655 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Late Holocene Maize Diversity and Cultural Remains from the Northern Neotropics: The Site of Cueva La Capilla, Venezuelan Andes
In the northern neotropics, given poor preservation of macro-fossils and funding/research biases, our understanding of ancient cultures’ dynamics is limited. Here, we document the botanical and cultural remains at an early ceramic archaeological site, Cueva La Capilla, northeast of the Venezuelan Andes, which contains funerary remains linked to the Tocuyanoid ceramic tradition, as well as maize rachises. We employ a multidisciplinary approach to …
A human skeleton from Última Esperanza, South-West Patagonia, Chile: Osteobiography, morphometric, and genetic analysis
Despite over 130 years of systematic investigation, only a few ancient human skeletons have been recovered in southern Patagonia. These remains, dating to the Middle and Late Holocene, are typically found as isolated individuals or in small burial groups. In this paper, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skeleton belonging to an elderly female discovered in the late 19th century in Mylodon Cave, Última Esperanza, southern Chile. T…
A global database on blowguns with links to geography and language
The blowgun is a weapon that employs the force of breath for expelling a projectile and has been traditionally used for hunting and (occasionally) war. The use of blowguns extends to ancient times and is advantageous in dense-forest areas of South America and South East Asia. A classification system of blowgun types introduced in 1948 for South America is extended here. We assembled a global database that includes collection data and ethnographic…
Reconstructing ancient Southern African mitochondrial genomes at Faraoskop
Twelve human skeletons, approximately 2000 years old, were recovered from the Faraoskop archaeological site in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (Manhire 1993). Several of the skeletons were well enough preserved to determine the osteological profiles (sex, age and stature etc.). Additionally, paleopathological and traumatic changes were observed on some of these skeletal remains. Given suggested context that these human remains were drawn …
Cultural macroevolution of musical instruments in South America
Musical instruments provide material evidence to study the diversity and technical innovation of music in space and time. We employed a cultural evolutionary perspective to analyse organological data and their relation to language groups and population history in South America, a unique and complex geographic area for human evolution. The ethnological and archaeological native musical instrument record, documented in three newly assembled contine…
Speaking Italian with a Swiss-German Accent: Walter Ballmer and Swiss Graphic Design in Milan
The article employs Walter Ballmer's experience as a Swiss graphic designer working in Milan in the second half of the twentieth century as a case study to think about national design discourses outside national borders, show their constructed nature, and explore their impact on individual lives and careers. Drawing on primary sources collected in the archive and through interviews, it maps out the socio-cultural network that gave meaning to Swis…
Human origins in Southern African palaeo-wetlands? Strong claims from weak evidence
North and South in the ancient Central Andes: Contextualizing the archaeological record with evidence from linguistics and molecular anthropology
The Central Andes are characterized by the early emergence of complex societies and a chequered yet continuous cultural tradition. However, at least for certain points of time in the cultural development, the overall cohesiveness of this 'culture area' has been called into question, favoring an alternative perspective that emphasizes the existence of several relatively independent nuclei of development on the North Coast, the southern Peruvian Hi…
High‐resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis sheds light on human diversity, cultural interactions, and population mobility in Northwestern Amazonia
OBJECTIVES: Northwestern Amazonia (NWA) is a center of high linguistic and cultural diversity. Several language families and linguistic isolates occur in this region, as well as different subsistence patterns, with some groups being foragers and others agriculturalists. In addition, speakers of Eastern Tukanoan languages are known for practicing linguistic exogamy, a marriage system in which partners are taken from different language groups. In t…
Genetic structure and sex‐biased gene flow in the history of southern African populations
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the genetic history of southern African populations with a special focus on their paternal history. We reexamined previous claims that the Y-chromosome haplogroup E1b1b (E-M293) was brought to southern Africa by pastoralists from eastern Africa, and investigated patterns of sex-biased gene flow in southern Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed previously published complete mtDNA genome sequences and ∼900 kb of NRY…
A genomic history of Aboriginal Australia
The population history of Aboriginal Australians remains largely uncharacterized. Here we generate high-coverage genomes for 83 Aboriginal Australians (speakers of Pama–Nyungan languages) and 25 Papuans from the New Guinea Highlands. We find that Papuan and Aboriginal Australian ancestors diversified 25–40 thousand years ago (kya), suggesting pre-Holocene population structure in the ancient continent of Sahul (Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania).…
Unraveling the complex maternal history of Southern African Khoisan populations
The Khoisan populations of southern Africa are known to harbor some of the deepest‐rooting lineages of human mtDNA; however, their relationships are as yet poorly understood. Here, we report the results of analyses of complete mtDNA genome sequences from nearly 700 individuals representing 26 populations of southern Africa who speak diverse Khoisan and Bantu languages. Our data reveal a multilayered history of the indigenous populations of southe…
Between A ndes and A mazon: The genetic profile of the A rawak‐speaking Y anesha
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Titicaca basin: Matches and mismatches with linguistics and ethnohistory
The genetic affinities that characterize Central Andean populations are highly consistent with the succession of expansive polities in the region, culminating with the Incas. In the environs of Lake Titicaca, however, one subset of the present day Aymara-speaking population exhibits a peculiar position: perhaps a genetic correlate to their original Uro linguistic lineage (now extinct in the area), tallying with ethnohistorical claims for the dist…
Unraveling the complex maternal history of Southern African Khoisan populations
The Khoisan populations of southern Africa are known to harbor some of the deepest‐rooting lineages of human mtDNA; however, their relationships are as yet poorly understood. Here, we report the results of analyses of complete mtDNA genome sequences from nearly 700 individuals representing 26 populations of southern Africa who speak diverse Khoisan and Bantu languages. Our data reveal a multilayered history of the indigenous populations of southe…
North and South in the ancient Central Andes: Contextualizing the archaeological record with evidence from linguistics and molecular anthropology
The Central Andes are characterized by the early emergence of complex societies and a chequered yet continuous cultural tradition. However, at least for certain points of time in the cultural development, the overall cohesiveness of this 'culture area' has been called into question, favoring an alternative perspective that emphasizes the existence of several relatively independent nuclei of development on the North Coast, the southern Peruvian Hi…
Human origins in Southern African palaeo-wetlands? Strong claims from weak evidence
Between A ndes and A mazon: The genetic profile of the A rawak‐speaking Y anesha
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
Reconstructing ancient Southern African mitochondrial genomes at Faraoskop
Twelve human skeletons, approximately 2000 years old, were recovered from the Faraoskop archaeological site in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (Manhire 1993). Several of the skeletons were well enough preserved to determine the osteological profiles (sex, age and stature etc.). Additionally, paleopathological and traumatic changes were observed on some of these skeletal remains. Given suggested context that these human remains were drawn …
High‐resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis sheds light on human diversity, cultural interactions, and population mobility in Northwestern Amazonia
OBJECTIVES: Northwestern Amazonia (NWA) is a center of high linguistic and cultural diversity. Several language families and linguistic isolates occur in this region, as well as different subsistence patterns, with some groups being foragers and others agriculturalists. In addition, speakers of Eastern Tukanoan languages are known for practicing linguistic exogamy, a marriage system in which partners are taken from different language groups. In t…
Genetic structure and sex‐biased gene flow in the history of southern African populations
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the genetic history of southern African populations with a special focus on their paternal history. We reexamined previous claims that the Y-chromosome haplogroup E1b1b (E-M293) was brought to southern Africa by pastoralists from eastern Africa, and investigated patterns of sex-biased gene flow in southern Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed previously published complete mtDNA genome sequences and ∼900 kb of NRY…
Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Titicaca basin: Matches and mismatches with linguistics and ethnohistory
The genetic affinities that characterize Central Andean populations are highly consistent with the succession of expansive polities in the region, culminating with the Incas. In the environs of Lake Titicaca, however, one subset of the present day Aymara-speaking population exhibits a peculiar position: perhaps a genetic correlate to their original Uro linguistic lineage (now extinct in the area), tallying with ethnohistorical claims for the dist…
Unraveling the complex maternal history of Southern African Khoisan populations
The Khoisan populations of southern Africa are known to harbor some of the deepest‐rooting lineages of human mtDNA; however, their relationships are as yet poorly understood. Here, we report the results of analyses of complete mtDNA genome sequences from nearly 700 individuals representing 26 populations of southern Africa who speak diverse Khoisan and Bantu languages. Our data reveal a multilayered history of the indigenous populations of southe…
Between A ndes and A mazon: The genetic profile of the A rawak‐speaking Y anesha
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
A genomic history of Aboriginal Australia
The population history of Aboriginal Australians remains largely uncharacterized. Here we generate high-coverage genomes for 83 Aboriginal Australians (speakers of Pama–Nyungan languages) and 25 Papuans from the New Guinea Highlands. We find that Papuan and Aboriginal Australian ancestors diversified 25–40 thousand years ago (kya), suggesting pre-Holocene population structure in the ancient continent of Sahul (Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania).…
High‐resolution mitochondrial DNA analysis sheds light on human diversity, cultural interactions, and population mobility in Northwestern Amazonia
OBJECTIVES: Northwestern Amazonia (NWA) is a center of high linguistic and cultural diversity. Several language families and linguistic isolates occur in this region, as well as different subsistence patterns, with some groups being foragers and others agriculturalists. In addition, speakers of Eastern Tukanoan languages are known for practicing linguistic exogamy, a marriage system in which partners are taken from different language groups. In t…
Genetic structure and sex‐biased gene flow in the history of southern African populations
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the genetic history of southern African populations with a special focus on their paternal history. We reexamined previous claims that the Y-chromosome haplogroup E1b1b (E-M293) was brought to southern Africa by pastoralists from eastern Africa, and investigated patterns of sex-biased gene flow in southern Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed previously published complete mtDNA genome sequences and ∼900 kb of NRY…
North and South in the ancient Central Andes: Contextualizing the archaeological record with evidence from linguistics and molecular anthropology
The Central Andes are characterized by the early emergence of complex societies and a chequered yet continuous cultural tradition. However, at least for certain points of time in the cultural development, the overall cohesiveness of this 'culture area' has been called into question, favoring an alternative perspective that emphasizes the existence of several relatively independent nuclei of development on the North Coast, the southern Peruvian Hi…
Cultural macroevolution of musical instruments in South America
Musical instruments provide material evidence to study the diversity and technical innovation of music in space and time. We employed a cultural evolutionary perspective to analyse organological data and their relation to language groups and population history in South America, a unique and complex geographic area for human evolution. The ethnological and archaeological native musical instrument record, documented in three newly assembled contine…
Speaking Italian with a Swiss-German Accent: Walter Ballmer and Swiss Graphic Design in Milan
The article employs Walter Ballmer's experience as a Swiss graphic designer working in Milan in the second half of the twentieth century as a case study to think about national design discourses outside national borders, show their constructed nature, and explore their impact on individual lives and careers. Drawing on primary sources collected in the archive and through interviews, it maps out the socio-cultural network that gave meaning to Swis…
Human origins in Southern African palaeo-wetlands? Strong claims from weak evidence
A human skeleton from Última Esperanza, South-West Patagonia, Chile: Osteobiography, morphometric, and genetic analysis
Despite over 130 years of systematic investigation, only a few ancient human skeletons have been recovered in southern Patagonia. These remains, dating to the Middle and Late Holocene, are typically found as isolated individuals or in small burial groups. In this paper, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a human skeleton belonging to an elderly female discovered in the late 19th century in Mylodon Cave, Última Esperanza, southern Chile. T…
A global database on blowguns with links to geography and language
The blowgun is a weapon that employs the force of breath for expelling a projectile and has been traditionally used for hunting and (occasionally) war. The use of blowguns extends to ancient times and is advantageous in dense-forest areas of South America and South East Asia. A classification system of blowgun types introduced in 1948 for South America is extended here. We assembled a global database that includes collection data and ethnographic…
Reconstructing ancient Southern African mitochondrial genomes at Faraoskop
Twelve human skeletons, approximately 2000 years old, were recovered from the Faraoskop archaeological site in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (Manhire 1993). Several of the skeletons were well enough preserved to determine the osteological profiles (sex, age and stature etc.). Additionally, paleopathological and traumatic changes were observed on some of these skeletal remains. Given suggested context that these human remains were drawn …
Late Holocene Maize Diversity and Cultural Remains from the Northern Neotropics: The Site of Cueva La Capilla, Venezuelan Andes
In the northern neotropics, given poor preservation of macro-fossils and funding/research biases, our understanding of ancient cultures’ dynamics is limited. Here, we document the botanical and cultural remains at an early ceramic archaeological site, Cueva La Capilla, northeast of the Venezuelan Andes, which contains funerary remains linked to the Tocuyanoid ceramic tradition, as well as maize rachises. We employ a multidisciplinary approach to …
Geography (12 works) · Forensic and Genetic Research (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Biology (9 works) · Demography (8 works) · Archaeology (7 works) · Evolutionary biology (7 works) · History (7 works) · Population (7 works) · Ecology (6 works)