The research project concerns a period of prehistory, the Neolithic, which developed between 5500 and 2200 BC in Western Switzerland and which saw great changes in the way of living and the functioning of its societies. These were the first swiss agro-pastoral communities, for which there is a relatively complete and well-documented sequence of burial practices. A significant number of individuals have been the subject of research studies, which have made it possible to draw a partial portrait of these ancient populations. The dietary behavior, lifestyles and mobility of these first farmer-breeders will be studied. Only a few specific studies on these questions have been conducted to date. The aim here is to acquire a broad and complete vision to understand how these Neolithic communities of Western Switzerland lived and evolved between the 5th and 3rd millennia. Within the framework of the post-doctorate, the aim is to contribute to this major theme by carrying out the paleopathological analysis of the individuals included in the project. The paleopathological contribution will allow not only to identify the environment in which the individuals lived (pathogenic environments, vitamin or oligo-element deficiencies), but also to complete the general picture of their bio-cultural environment (differentiated access to resources or care). Previous studies have already been conducted among the Neolithic populations of Western Switzerland. However, they need to be completed, either because they require an update of the analysis methods, or because they require additional observations - on oral and dental evidences and metabolic disorders, in particular. A complete paleopathological study will be carried out for individuals belonging to recently discovered sites. The aim is to evaluate the prevalence and frequency of the observed diseases, in order to establish a general health profile of these populations. They will then be linked with data from isotopic geochemistry to address the issues of socio-cultural behavior, both in terms of access to resources and their exploitation.
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