Cultural Dynamics and Ancient Settlements: The Malagasy Example – DYNAMAD

The DYNAMAD project aims to define the processes of cultural transmission in ancient Malagasy societies, with a particular focus on the Merina and Sakalava groups, through the study of funerary assemblages. The objective is to understand better these societies' emergence, continuity, and long-term cultural evolution. Since 2022, we have conducted excavations at four funerary sites on the central highlands and three burial caves associated with pre-Sakalava groups in northwestern Madagascar, covering a chronological span from the 13th to the 19th century. These investigations have yielded approximately 250 individuals and enabled a revision of several historical scenarios concerning the expansion of Merina and Sakalava groups and their complex interactions with earlier populations, particularly the Vazimba. These findings reveal cultural exchanges between the Merina—rooted in irrigated rice agriculture and reaching their peak in the 19th century—and the ancestors of the Sakalava, who were involved in the formation of Merina funerary sites and are associated with specific grave goods. Based on these data and new excavations planned for 2025 (outside ANR funding) and 2026, the project will investigate funerary rituals—central elements in Malagasy societies shaped by tradition and innovation. Genetic studies will help identify lineages and admixture patterns; isotopic analyses—rarely applied in this context—will provide information on individual mobility; and paleopathological studies will focus on infectious diseases, particularly malaria,. "Malaria, which has played a significant role in the evolutionary trajectory of human populations. A key goal is to explore the relationship between funerary practices and human migration over several centuries. Ancient DNA analysis will test whether genetic flows accompany the cultural connections observed between western and central Madagascar. Cultural evolution will be modeled using machine learning algorithms and Bayesian cultural phylogenies, while genetic evolution will be examined within the broader context of population movements across the Indian Ocean.The combined analysis of cultural, biological, mobility, and health-related data will be assessed through Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) to identify the most consistent transmission models with the observed evidence. The project adheres to strict ethical standards and works in close partnership with Malagasy researchers and local communities. Finally, we will develop an open-access pipeline to ensure the methodologies are reproducible and transferable to comparable archaeological contexts.