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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BIRTH (Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000 â€“ 5000 BC)

Teaser

Summary

The BIRTH explores the questions of how and why did our species manage to achieve an increase in fertility in prehistory, despite the evident difficulties and risks accompanying birth. We incorporates a holistic approach in understanding prehistoric fertility and investigate skeletal, nutritive and cultural factors influencing increase of birth rates in the period between 10000 and 5000 BC. During that time, the first significant demographic growth of humans occurred, in the process called Neolithic Demographic Transition, but scientists are still not sure what make this demographic success possible. Through analysis of human, animal, plant and archaeological remains from the territory of the Central Balkans BIRTH investigate biological and cultural changes behind that human demographic success. BIRTH aim is to: 1) establish the number of pregnancies prehistoric mothers had, the size of their pelvises and the size of babies; 2) determine the ways in which Neolithic changes in dietary practices influenced food quality, the duration of breastfeeding, the type of weaning food; 3) understand the attitudes towards pregnancy, birthing and babies in prehistory. Our investigation is important because all current knowledge on population size in prehistory is indirect, i.e. it is based on the analysis of the density of archaeological remains, operating under assumption that a greater number of finds implies the presence of a greater number of people. BIRTH will provide first direct biological indicators on the number of pregnancies and determine whether Neolithic mothers actually bore more children in comparison to Palaeolithic ones. We will establish at what age women got pregnant for the first and last time, i.e. whether the Neolithic saw a change in the duration of the reproductive period. Also, we will determine how long the interval between pregnancies was. Also, BIRTH will investigate did some biological changes contributed to the increase of birth rate, for example did female pelvic become wider or did babies become smaller, which could influenced easier birthing. Additionally, BIRTH will analyse prehistoric nutrition in order to understand changes in a quality of Neolithic nutrition and did mothers started to breastfeed their babies shorter and what was new weaning food for the babies with the onset of the Neolithic.
Presuming that similar biological and cultural mechanisms affected fertility rates throughout the course of human evolution, the study of these mechanisms is of crucial importance for the understanding of both ancient and modern fertility. Our approach shows the potential of ancient skeletal heritage for modern people because prehistoric human bones can tell us a lot about biological phenomena relevant to modern populations â€“ i.e. fertility, fetal development and the effects of nutrition on health and pregnancy.

Work performed

Our the most important results are detection of: 1) deciduous teeth bite marks on the Neolithic bone spoons; 2) changes in female pelvis with Neolithic; 3) increased stress in Neolithic females probably due to increased birth rate 4) evidence that human sedentism appeared before the Neolithic.

1. Since approximately 8000 years ago, thousands of bone spoons appeared throughout the whole Neolithic world. Our assumption that with those spoons prehistoric people fed their babies is confirmed by microscopic investigation which showed bite marks of deciduous teeth on each of analysed spoons. Appearance of feeding spoons indicates new type of gruel for babies, and if so, that new weaning practice could provide shorter lactation for mothers which probably influenced the fertility.
2. BIRTH provided preliminary evidence about the changes in the shape of female pelvises with Neolithic. Our study, preliminary in this moment due to the small number of pelvises analysed, gives an important indication that with Neolithic, female pelvis became wider which could have been a very important implication for successful delivery for both mothers and babies.

3. We have collected 190 teeth from people who lived between 10000 and 5000 BC which represents a tremendous collection of preserved dental material from one of the most important periods in human evolution when, for the first time, fertility increase had happened. Preliminary results point out that with Neolithic number of so called crisis lines on teeth of Neolithic females compared with Mesolithic ones increase which indicate increase of the number of babies with Neolithic.

4. BIRTH found evidence that human sedentism appeared before the Neolithic. A sedentary lifestyle is most commonly associated with the emergence of farming and animal husbandry, starting from about 6000 BC. But our study of animal bones, whose skeletal elements can serve as a seasonal indicator, points out a year-round activity in the region of Danube Gorges. This is an extremely important discovery for our understanding of the evolution of human sedentism and important evidence that some of the benefits of sedentary way of life for the motherhood appeared much earlier than we thought.

Final results

Our the most important results are detection of: 1) deciduous teeth bite marks on the Neolithic bone spoons; 2) changes in female pelvis with Neolithic; 3) increased stress in Neolithic females probably due to increased birth rate 4) evidence that human sedentism appeared before the Neolithic.

1. Since approximately 8000 years ago, thousands of bone spoons appeared throughout the whole Neolithic world. Our assumption that with those spoons prehistoric people fed their babies is confirmed by microscopic investigation which showed bite marks of deciduous teeth on each of analysed spoons. Appearance of feeding spoons indicates new type of gruel for babies, and if so, that new weaning practice could provide shorter lactation for mothers which probably influenced the fertility.

2. BIRTH provided preliminary evidence about the changes in the shape of female pelvises with Neolithic. Our study, preliminary in this moment due to the small number of pelvises analysed, gives an important indication that with Neolithic, female pelvis became wider which could have been a very important implication for successful delivery for both mothers and babies.

3. We have collected 190 teeth from people who lived between 10000 and 5000 BC which represents a tremendous collection of preserved dental material from one of the most important periods in human evolution when, for the first time, fertility increase had happened. Preliminary results point out that with Neolithic number of so called crisis lines on teeth of Neolithic females compared with Mesolithic ones increase which indicate increase of the number of babies with Neolithic.

4. BIRTH found evidence that human sedentism appeared before the Neolithic. A sedentary lifestyle is most commonly associated with the emergence of farming and animal husbandry, starting from about 6000 BC. But our study of animal bones, whose skeletal elements can serve as a seasonal indicator, points out a year-round activity in the region of Danube Gorges. This is an extremely important discovery for our understanding of the evolution of human sedentism and important evidence that some of the benefits of sedentary way of life for the motherhood appeared much earlier than we thought.