In This Issue

Abstract

Humans began transitioning from foraging to farming around 10,000–11,000 years ago. Health and lifestyle changes experienced by early farmers are unclear, partly because archaeological records are incomplete. Clark Spencer Larsen et al. (pp. 12615–12623) conducted a bioarchaeological investigation of Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic archaeological site in Turkey that enabled detailed analyses of the landscape as well as animal and plant remains. The authors focused on 742 human remains dating from 7100 to 5950 BCE. For the inhabitants of Çatalhöyük, transitioning to farming increased exposure to diseases. Higher birth rates led to a growing population, with a peak of approximately 3,500–8,000 individuals. As the community grew, labor demands and the need to acquire food increased. Crowded living conditions contributed to interpersonal violence, as indicated by cranial injuries, as well as increased risk of infection and pathogen transmission. Sheep, which are intermediate hosts to several human parasites, posed a major public health concern. Consumption of plant carbohydrates as well as bread and porridge led to dental problems. Material culture, including wall paintings and figurines, illustrated the evolution of a complex society, and ancestral graves beneath house floors attested to a prevailing sense of community. According to the authors, the findings at Çatalhöyük provide insight into how human lifestyles evolved over the following millennia. — M.S.