The transition between hunter-gatherer lifestyle and subsequent sedentary Neolithic was a major stage in human history, a stage that remains poorly understood. The proposed study will test the hypothesis that sedentism in Europe began at the onset of postglacial conditions, and provide further insights into the preconditions of the European transition as well as a more complete understanding of skeletal adaptation to activity patterns. The consequences of environmental changes for human subsistence at the European Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition are poorly understood. Specifically, how did mobility change? This project will test the hypothesis that a significant decrease in mobility occurred at the European Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic transition by examining changes through time in human postcranial skeletal structure, using cross-sectional tibial and femoral properties that are directly related to activity levels (locomotion). Data will be obtained from radiographs of the femur and tibia of osteological specimens in museum collections. Molds will be taken at three locations along the the femur and the tibia. Cross-sections at each location will be reconstructed, using the radiographs and molds as guides to endosteal and periosteal contours. Each reconstructed cross-section will be digitized and cross-sectional geometric properties calculated. Previous studies have shown that variation in lower limb bone cross-sectional shape corresponds to differences in mobility levels and patterns, reflecting subsistence differences. Correlations between various environmental, biological, and cultural factors and observed levels of mobility will be examined.
