Perinatal Mortality and Metabolic Stress in Bronze Age South‐Central Anatolia: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Infant Skeletal Remains From Konya Karahöyük (Türkiye)

ABSTRACT

Infant skeletal remains provide a sensitive window into the health, environmental stressors, and social conditions of past populations. This study presents a bioarchaeological analysis of 61 non‐adult and 4 adult skeletal remains recovered from the 17th–16th centuries

levels of the Bronze Age site of Konya Karahöyük in south‐central Anatolia (Türkiye). The assemblage is dominated by neonates ( n  = 36; 55.38%), making it one of the most substantial Bronze Age infant collections documented in the region. Osteological examinations reveal high rates of metabolic stress indicators. Among individuals with evaluable elements, porotic hyperostosis was observed in 36.8% of crania, cribra orbitalia in 35.5% of orbits, porosity/periostitis in 19.5% of individuals, and possible scurvy/rickets in 9.8%. A differential diagnosis approach evaluates multiple potential etiologies, including megaloblastic anemia (B12/folate deficiency), hemolytic anemia (potentially malaria‐related), scurvy, rickets, and non‐specific infectious disease. The presence of these lesions in neonates points to maternal nutritional and hematological stress as a primary contributing factor. No evidence of trauma was observed, supporting the interpretation that most deaths were acute and attributable to infectious or nutritional disease rather than violence. Environmental data suggest that a waterlogged, flood‐prone palaeolandscape created conditions favorable for malaria and other infections, though direct biomolecular evidence for malaria is lacking. The intramural deposition of neonates within administrative‐ritual spaces reflects a culturally mediated response to infant death. This study contributes to the growing bioarchaeological literature on Bronze Age childhood in Anatolia and offers a rare, contextualized dataset for understanding infant vulnerability in pre‐industrial southwestern Asia.