Bioarchaeology of Neolithic Çatalhöyük reveals fundamental transitions in health, mobility, and lifestyle in early farmers

A comprehensive bioarchaeological study of the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük, spanning 7100–5950 cal BCE in south-central Anatolia, reveals profound health and lifestyle transitions linked to early agriculture. The research demonstrates that the shift from foraging to farming introduced significant challenges, including increased disease exposure, labor demands, and mobility, driven by reliance on domesticated plants and animals, population growth, and caprine herding. These findings highlight the costs of early agricultural dependence, foreshadowing global health patterns that emerged over millennia after Çatalhöyük's abandonment. The study integrates skeletal analysis with contextual archaeological data to uncover population dynamics, behavioral adaptations, and social behaviors, including interpersonal violence, providing a rare window into the resilience and vulnerabilities of one of the world's earliest protocities.

Larsen, C. S., Knüsel, C. J., Haddow, S. D., Pilloud, M. A., Milella, M., Sadvari, J. W., Pearson, J., Ruff, C. B., Garofalo, E. M., Bocaege, E., Betz, B. J., Dori, I., & Glencross, B. (2019). Bioarchaeology of Neolithic Çatalhöyük reveals fundamental transitions in health, mobility, and lifestyle in early farmers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(26), 12615–12623. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904345116