Having a blast in the past: Ayushi Nayak hosts Real Scientists
Real Scientists is heading back in time this week with Ayushi Nayak, a doctoral researcher in archaeological science at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany. Her research research explores past diets, early farming strategies, population movement, and intercultural interactions. She also specializes in decolonising methodologies and community-centred approaches for application to archaeological datasets. We chatted about Ayushi’s life and work so far:
Welcome to Real Scientists! Can you tell us a bit about how you got started in archaeology?
I developed a serious obsession with Ancient Egypt after visiting the British Museum as a 5 year old and this turned into a fascination of archaeology and anthropology! I was always fascinated with answering questions about the lives of people in past and loved all the science subjects in school so when I realised you could combine the two, it was perfect!
During undergrad I fell in love with how much information even seemingly ordinary archaeological remains can hold when you apply a variety of methods, and our ability to tell stories about the past. Quite often, the application of a new method can throw up entirely new findings, and even with an old method, its application in a creative way can be revolutionary. The excitement of finding something new about people from hundreds or thousands of years ago has stayed with me. Archaeology and anthropology can potentially provide such an intimate way to know past peoples, and help think about the present and the future of our world.
What are you working on right now?
My doctoral research focuses on the nature of agricultural societies in South Asia in the past — what people farmed, how they did it, what they ate, the animals they raised, how they interacted with each other and their environments. Using different archaeological approaches, I produce datasets that help explore diet, early farming strategies, population movement, and cultural changes. I am interested in applying decolonizing methodologies to archaeology and anthropology, and working within a community-centred and collaborative approach to produce, interpret, and communicate knowledge.
What do you want the general public to know about your work?
Archaeology is so cool! The fact that we can apply so many different methods to find out about the everyday lives of people from thousands of years ago is fascinating in and of itself, but I believe it also calls to the inherent curiosity we have about ourselves as a species, as communities.
What do you get up to when you’re not in the lab or in the field?
I am a professional Odissi dancer and also volunteer with an NGO in India that works with people with disabilities. The COVID-19 lockdown boredom also got me hooked ;) onto crocheting and it’s been a lot of fun learning how to create different things. I also really enjoy cooking and spend time recreating or inventing foods that may have been consumed in my study area in the past.
Finally, what’s your ideal day off?
An ideal day would probably involve a long walk in the sun, multiple delicious meals, Skyping with my friends and family, and the time to crochet while watching a movie.
Ayushi Nayak, welcome to Real Scientists!
