Objective

This study evaluates patterns of human growth in the Neolithic to make inferences about environmental correlates of developmental disturbances.

Materials

33 children/adolescents from the Neolithic of Liguria (Italy), 29 of which date between 4,800-4,400 cal BCE.

Methods

Neolithic patterns of growth are compared with a modern sample (the Denver Growth Study; DGS). Dental development was used to determine age at death. Proxies for postcranial maturation are femoral length and proportion of mean adult femoral length attained.

Results

Ligurian children show growth faltering compared to DGS, especially between 4 and 9 years of age. Between 1 and 2 years, and in later childhood and adolescence, values are more similar or higher than DGS, when using the proportion of adult femoral length attained.

Conclusions

The pattern of growth in Ligurian Neolithic children may reflect a deprived and highly-infectious environment: three individuals show skeletal lesions consistent with tuberculosis. The relatively faster growth in infancy may result from the buffering provided by maternal milk. Older children and adolescents may exhibit catch-up growth.

Significance

This study contributes to our understanding of Neolithic selective pressures and possible biocultural adaptive strategies.

Limitations

The cross-sectional nature of the data and the small sample size make it unclear whether the observed pattern is representative of the growth patterns in the living population. The possibility that adults are stunted undermines the interpretation of optimal growth in the first years.

Suggestions for Further Research

Refine age estimates, increase sample size through the study of other bone elements.

中文翻译：

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新石器时代利古里亚（意大利西北部）生长模式的环境相关性

目的

这项研究评估了新石器时代人类的生长方式，以推断出发育干扰的环境相关性。

用料

来自利古里亚新石器时代（意大利）的33名儿童/青少年，其中29名发生于公元前4,800-4,400 cal。

方法

将新石器时代的增长模式与现代样本（丹佛增长研究； DGS）进行了比较。牙齿发育被用来确定死亡年龄。颅后成熟的代表是股骨长度和平均成年股骨长度的比例。

结果

与DGS相比，利古里亚儿童表现出生长缓慢，尤其是在4至9岁之间。当使用成年股骨长度的比例时，在1至2岁之间以及在儿童和青少年后期，该值比DGS更高或更高。

结论

利古里亚新石器时代儿童的生长方式可能反映了缺乏和高度传染性的环境：三个人显示出与结核病一致的骨骼病变。婴儿期相对较快的增长可能源于母乳提供的缓冲作用。较大的儿童和青少年可能会出现追赶性增长。

意义

这项研究有助于我们了解新石器时代的选择压力和可能的生物文化适应策略。

局限性

数据的横断面性质和小的样本量使得不清楚所观察到的模式是否能代表生活人口的增长模式。成人发育迟缓的可能性破坏了最初几年最佳生长的解释。

进一步研究的建议

优化年龄估计，通过研究其他骨骼元素来增加样本量。