Clothomics: a practical guide to understand the opportunities and challenges of omics-based methods in archaeological cloth research.

Abstract

Since the first studies in the early 2000s, an increasing number of articles have used biomolecular tools for studying archaeological and historical cloth materials, produced by animal and plant fibres, leather and furs. Genomic and proteomic studies have particularly contributed to prior visual and microscopic methods to broaden complex themes such as society, identity, technology, economy and trade. We have termed this new interdisciplinary field "clothomics", as it applies diverse omics methodologies, such as genomics and proteomics, to expand the horizons of cloth research. This paper aims at providing users with a set of practical step-by-step guides for the most widely applied omics analyses of cloth, proteomics and genomics, in animal-based materials. The paper reviews current applications, provides recommendations for selecting the right analytical strategy, focusing on practical considerations like how to sample, how to choose between proteomic and genomic methodological approaches, and where we see the current limitations. We are optimistic with the field of clothomics as we see it receives more attention scientifically and from the funding bodies. Although it faces several technical challenges, we also experience attempts to overcome these by recovering and detecting more biomolecules and becoming a more inclusive field through data sharing and participatory science. With a close collaboration between scholars of different disciplines, clothomics will provide a better understanding of human-animal interactions and the use of animal products beyond subsistence.