Neolithic Skulls Reveal the Life History of Ancient Humans
Scientists are learning a bit more about the people of the Neolithic age by taking a closer look at a mound containing at least 50 bodies. New findings reveal a bit more about the way of life at the time period.
The collective graves of the Neolithic period were made mostly of stone and were large enough to hold many bodies in a communal space. The megalithic tomb in Alto de Reinoso, Burgos, differs from this in only one respect. It turns out that the burial chamber had originally been made of wood over which a stone mound was erected afterward.
The mound was likely used by a community that lived between 3700 and 3600 AD, and spanned about three to four generations.
In order to understand these people's way of life, the researchers used modern methods to collect individual data such as age, sex, body height, disease, stress markers and signs of violence. The researchers found that about half of the deceased were adults while the other half were children and adolescents. The average height was about five feet and two inches for men and about four feet nine inches for women. The adults in particular showed skeletal stress markers and various stages of degenerative diseases of the spine and joints, healed fractures, head injuries and dental diseases such as caries.
Genetic studies also revealed that these people buried people who were closely related next to each other. It's also likely that these people mainly ate wheat and barley in addition to sheep, goat and pig.
The findings reveal a bit more about the way of life in this ancient time. This, in particular, may tell researchers a bit more about how these people lived.
The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.
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