04 Births, mothers and babies: prehistoric fertility in the Balkans between 10000-5000 BC

by Sofija Stefanovic
ERC BIRTH project discovered biological evidence of the increased physiological stress of the Neolithic females compared to Mesolithic ones and that Neolithic pelvises were more obstetrically efficient. Our simulation model provided demographic reconstruction of the Neolithisation of Europe at its very beginning, from 6200 BC and suggested a high fertility rate, probably 8-10 children per female and high speeds of the Neolithic expansion across the Balkans (1.5-2 km/year on average). We found that the appearance of new weaning food for babies was important not only for female shorter lactation but also contributed to new organization of baby care from the Neolithic.