Prehistoric settlement in Turkey bears telltale signs of modern woes | World News, The Indian Express

Prehistoric settlement in Turkey bears telltale signs of modern woes | World News, The Indian Express

By Reuters |Washington |Published: June 18, 2019 1:05:19 pm

Prehistoric settlement in Turkey bears telltale signs of modern woes

The researchers examined 742 human skeletons unearthed at the prehistoric ruins of Catalhoyuk, inhabited from 9,100 to 7,950 years ago during a pivotal time in human evolution.

Researchers excavate the ruins of Catalhoyuk, a prehistoric settlement located in south-central Turkey that was inhabited from about 9,100 to 7,950 years ago, in this photograph released from Istanbul, Turkey. (REUTERS)

Overcrowding. Violence. Infectious diseases. Environmental degradation. It may sound like the worst of modern mega-cities. But people encountered these very same problems when the first large settlements were being established millennia ago as humans began to swap a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence for a lifestyle centered on farming, scientists said on Monday, based on findings from a prehistoric site in south-central Turkey.