Population density and developmental stress in the Neolithic

A diachronic study of dental fluctuating asymmetry at Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7,100–5,950 BC)

Bibliographic Data

ID8318561
AuthorsM Milella (0000-0003-1027-6601, Department of Anthropology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland, corresponding author), Barbara J Betz (0009-0002-3685-4326, Department of Anthropology, 4034 Smith Laboratory The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio), Christopher J Knüsel (0000-0002-2506-3652, UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux Pessac France), Clark Spencer Larsen (0000-0002-6905-8417, Department of Anthropology, 4034 Smith Laboratory The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio), Irene Dori (0000-0002-7579-4795, UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux Pessac France)
Year2018
Volume167
Issue4
Pages737-749
Publication date2018-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.23700
PMID30187909
OpenAlexW2890639902
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited102

OBJECTIVES: The transition from foraging to farming is usually associated with unprecedented population densities coupled with an increase in fertility and population growth. However, little is known about the biological effects of such demographic changes during the Neolithic. In the present work, we test the relationship between diachronic changes in population size, relative exposure to developmental stressors, and patterns of dental fluctuating asymmetry in the Neolithic population of Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7,100-5,950 cal BC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We calculate fluctuating asymmetry of mesio-distal and bucco-lingual diameters of upper and lower permanent canines and first and second molars on a large (N = 259) sample representing adults of both sexes and various age classes. RESULTS: Results show only a moderate decrease of fluctuating asymmetry during the late phase of occupation of the site, possibly linked to a decrease in population density, and no differences in asymmetry between sexes. DISCUSSION: Though preliminary, our data reflect the presence of developmental stressors throughout the occupation of the site, albeit with a slight improvement in living conditions during the latest periods of occupation. At the same time, these data confirm the key role of diet as buffer against the detrimental effects of fluctuating demographic pressures on the biology of prehistoric human populations

Archaeology · Biology · Fluctuating asymmetry · Geography · Population · Population density · Prehistory · Demography · Ecology · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Morphological variations and asymmetry · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology