Image Credit: (GRAMPO) and (SAPPO)

Ancient Teeth Reveal Life and Movement of First Farmers

A new study of 71 Neolithic individuals from Syria has shed light on how the world’s first farming villagers lived, moved, and integrated newcomers. Researchers analyzed isotopes in tooth enamel to track mobility between 11,600 and 7,500 years ago.
The findings show that once permanent villages were established, most people stayed local, reinforcing community ties. Toward the end of the Neolithic, however, women were more likely than men to move between villages, suggesting patrilocal traditions and strategies to avoid inbreeding.
Importantly, outsiders were fully integrated into communities. At Tell Halula, both locals and non-locals were buried together under house floors, receiving the same funerary treatments, including elaborate burial goods and seated burials.
This inclusivity highlights that Neolithic villages were not closed communities, but open to newcomers who were accepted in both life and death. The study, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, is published in Nature Scientific Reports.

Published on: 08-10-2025

Source: Durham University