Comparing Apples and Oranges? Confronting Social Science and Natural Science Approaches to Migration in Archaeology

Abstract

This paper discusses the tension between natural science-driven and social science-driven approaches to human migration in late prehistory, focussing especially on the 3rd millennium BC. In order to understand the relevant issues at the core of these tensions, we discuss recent research on prehistoric migrations based on aDNA data and confront it with research that adopts an anthropological and social approach, as well as with research that deals with present migrations by adopting an archaeological approach. Migration models based on genomic research have provoked heated debate among archaeologists. In the conclusions, we propose some possible ways to go further in research on past migrations.