The Archaeology Stable Isotope Laboratory (ASIL) investigates the complex interplay between humans, animals, and plants in various environmental and cultural settings. Directed by Dr. Cheryl Makarewicz and managed by Dr. Christine Winter-Schuh, ASIL employs multi-stable isotope analysis to study ancient human mobility, diet, animal husbandry, and plant cultivation practices. The lab focuses on Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age communities in the Near East, Eurasian Steppe, and Central and Northern Europe. ASIL also explores the impact of diagenetic processes on isotope signals and develops innovative sample preparation protocols for bones, teeth, and charred seeds to achieve high resolution datasets that capture authentic in vivo isotope values. 

ASIL is a core facility for isotope research conducted in the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistory Archaeology at the University of Kiel and also for the Excellence Cluster ROOTS, recently renewed for seven more years. The lab supports a diverse international body of MA students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral scholars supported by the European Research Council, Humboldt Foundation, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (EU), Minerva Stiftung, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), the German Science Foundation (DFG), and other funding bodies worldwide. ASIL also offers training courses and welcomes researchers wishing to integrate stable isotope approaches into their research.