Leiden Online Lectures | Jason Laffoon
Free online lecture on the topic of human migration
Following the success of the 2022 Leiden Theses lecture series, the National Museum of Antiquities and the Faculty of Archeology of Leiden University are once again joining forces. Twice a month there is an online lecture by one of our renowned scientists. What drives them in their work? With provocative statements and beautiful stories, they take you into the world of the archaeologist.
Jason Laffoon
It is the turn of Dr. Jason Laffoon, associate professor of Archaeological Sciences at Leiden University. His thesis is: understanding human migrations requires a long-term perspective. This allows us to assess how current trends relate to migration figures dating back to prehistory. Because human migration has been taking place for tens of thousands of years, and perhaps even longer.
Dr. Jason Laffoon
Associate Professor of Archaeological Sciences at Leiden University
Statement: Understanding human migrations requires a long-term perspective…
Following the success of the 2022 Leiden Theses lecture series, the National Museum of Antiquities and the Faculty of Archeology of Leiden University are once again joining forces. Twice a month there is an online lecture by one of our renowned scientists. What drives them in their work? With provocative statements and beautiful stories, they take you into the world of the archaeologist.
Jason Laffoon
It is the turn of Dr. Jason Laffoon, associate professor of Archaeological Sciences at Leiden University. His thesis is: understanding human migrations requires a long-term perspective. This allows us to assess how current trends relate to migration figures dating back to prehistory. Because human migration has been taking place for tens of thousands of years, and perhaps even longer.
Dr. Jason Laffoon
Associate Professor of Archaeological Sciences at Leiden University
Statement: Understanding human migrations requires a long-term perspective
Temporary perspectives
Current debates on the topic of human migration are often based on unfounded assumptions about past migration rates. Although international migration rates appear to be increasing, they are based on historical data and observations over the past few centuries. While human migrations have been happening for tens of thousands of years, if not longer. Understanding these migration patterns requires us to take a long-term perspective to assess how current trends compare with migration rates that come not only from the recent past, but also from prehistory.
Bioarchaeological archives
Relatively recent developments in archaeological sciences allow scientists to obtain more detailed information about the lives of people in the past. One of the most important of these scientific archaeological revolutions is the development and widespread application of isotope and DNA analyses. These have shed new light on past migration patterns. They provide powerful evidence that migration was much more common than previously thought. These new insights undermine the common assumption that migrations are recent phenomena. Rather, they suggest that past societies have been able to effectively manage large migration flows.