“Each new thing we discover here about the forefathers of today's human beings -- like their nutritional habits, bone types and genetic characteristics -- sheds more light on the unknowns about modern man,” he said. Hodder, the site leader at Çatalhöyük, said their findings about the physical characteristics of its ancient residents suggested that the currently popular trends of organic food consumption and natural lifestyles could find support in history.“The humans that lived in Çatalhöyük centuries ago had no problem with obesity and were far stronger than today's man. Although they had begun to produce wheat, they did not consume much carbohydrates, eating mostly fruits,” the scientist said, adding that his team was carefully examining excrement found in the area for clues on diet and anatomical characteristics.
Hodder also said they had discovered during their work at the site that the biggest killers of the community were typhoid fever and childhood dysentery. “Nevertheless, taking the rough life conditions of those times into consideration, they were still much healthier than today's people. The most frequent health problem of the modern world is obesity, but they had no such problems; perhaps it would do us some good to examine their lifestyles a little more closely,” he added.
Hodder also noted the stronger dental structures and teeth of the ancient residents of Çatalhöyük. “We have not observed any serious tooth problems, which is a consequence of their natural diets,” he said.
Dr. Ian Hodder has been leading the excavations at Çatalhöyük for 16 years and is expected to continue to do so until 2017. The project under way there goes beyond archaeology, combining research in this field with other fields of science and hosting laboratories for academics from several disciplines. Çatalhöyük, Turkey's most famous Neolithic site, is one the oldest known areas of human settlement, animal domestication and wheat cultivation. Discoveries made so far at the 9,000-year-old site include wall paintings, seals and cooking and eating utensils decorated with various painted and carved figures.
