EUROPE

Project Description.

The transition from the hunter-gatherer Mesolithic subsistence strategy to Neolithic agro-pastoralism is coupled with deep cultural and technological changes that are associated with a dietary shift. Diet changed significantly, becoming more processed and less demanding mechanically. This has been said to impact skull morphology, causing gracilization and shape changes in the cranium and mandible due to decreased masticatory loading. The present project will assess the biological impact of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. Three dimensional Geometric Morphometrics will be used to quantify form and analyze its association with mode of subsistence, enabling a bio-cultural analysis of the transition from a hunter-gatherer to an agropastoralist mode of subsistence.