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Full text of article
'Le Mort F, 2000: The Neolithic Subadult Skeletons from Khirokitia (Cyprus): Taphonomy and Infant Mortality. Anthropologie (Brno) 38, 1: 63-70'. |
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Abstract | The Neolithic site of Khirokitia in Cyprus, which dates back to the VIIth millennium B.C. (calibrated) yielded a large human bone sample comprising 252 individuals. The skeletal remains include a high proportion of infants under one year of age, most of them deceased perinatally, as well as a low proportion of children more than one year old. The subadults/adults ratio appears to be consistent with an ancient population. The unusual subadults age distribution reflects, in all likelihood, demographic anomalies that can be totally explained neither by an uneven archaeological sampling, nor by taphonomic process nor by cultural practices such as burial customs or infanticide. A possible interpretation for the high perinatal mortality, involving genetic anaemia, is suggested. | | Keywords | Aceramic Neolithic - Cyprus - Khirokitia - Taphonomy - Demography - Subadults - Infant mortality - Perinatal mortality | |
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