The Biological Affinities of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age

Description

This study investigates biological population affinities amongst Eastern Mediterranean Chalcolithic and Bronze Age human skeletal samples from sites in Cyprus, Greece and Syria. Age, sex and non-metric traits from the dentition, crania and post-crania were recorded. Using the non-metric dental data the biological affinities of these sites are determined. The comparisons between the sites from southwest Cyprus show all three sites to be statistically biologically similar. They also appeared to show some relation to a Syrian Early Bronze age site. These findings contrast with the different material cultures of the regions, which may suggest a biological relation based on ancestral contact between Cyprus and the mainland. The Cypriot Late Bronze sites show a mixed relation with the Chalcolithic samples with some relations with the Middle Bronze Age Greek samples and Syria. Where geographical distance is usually a factor in these types of comparisons, this study suggests time may also be a factor.