Study Estimates Life Expectancy in Bronze Age Turkey

ESKIŞEHIR, TURKEY—Analysis of the remains of more than 40 people suggests that 35 to 40 years of age was the average life span in central Anatolia some 5,000 years ago, according to a Hurriyet Daily News report. The cemetery where the remains were unearthed is located at the Küllüoba Mound, which is known for its Early Bronze Age urban settlement. Most of the remains in the study belonged to women and children. “Infant and child mortality is very high,” said Yilmaz Selim Erdal of Hacettepe University. “The limited food sources and the infectious diseases were imported factors,” he added. Seals, hair ornaments, and jewelry were also recovered from the burials, which varied in style, suggesting that different cultures or ethnic groups shared the settlement. DNA analysis could reveal kinship relationships between the dead, Erdal explained. To read about the destruction of the Bronze Age settlement of Zincirli in southeastern Turkey, go to "The Wrath of the Hittites."