The purpose of this study was to use geometric morphometrics (GM) to investigate the relationships between non-metric traits of the human hip bone: the greater sciatic notch (GSN), the ventral arc (VA), the subpubic contour (SPC), and the ischiopubic ramus ridge (IPRR), estimated skeletal sex, and shape. Fifty-nine undocumented left hip bone specimens were visually assessed for skeletal sex using recognized standards of sex estimation for the GSN (Buikstra and Ubelaker, 1994). The VA, SPC, and IPRR were assessed according to Klales et al., (2012). The Non-metric traits were scored on a five-scale scheme. Skeletal sex was classified as either male, possible male, indeterminate sex, possible female, or female. Three-dimensional computer models were created of the hip bones using the NextEngine 3D desktop surface scanner. Thirty landmarks were selected to represent the hip bone in three-dimensional shape for GM analysis. Twenty-seven of the selected landmarks were reliable according to suggested digitizing error measurements. The apex of the auricular surface, the arcurate eminence, and the anterior gluteal line were the least precise in the test for digitizing error. Geometric morphometric analysis of the computer models were performed using MorphoJ software. Principal component analysis identified the patterns of hip bone shape within the sex categories. A Procrustes ANOVA and a Spearman's correlation tested the significance between hip bone shape and estimated skeletal sex, and between hip bone shape and non-metric trait morphology. Patterns of hip bone shape in the ischium could not be identified by sex, however sex differences were identified in ischium size. Patterns of hip bone shape in the whole hip bone, segmented ilium and segmented pubis were distinguishable by larger sex groups (males = male and possible male categories; females = female and possible female categories). Shape patterns alluded to differences between females and possible females, however, shape patterns did not distinguish males from possible males. Individuals of indeterminate sex shared similar hip bone shapes as males and were therefore included in that larger sex group. Hip bone shape was also correlated with GSN, SPC, IPRR, and VA. However, the strength of the correlation differed between non-metric traits and certain components of hip bone shape. The GSN and SPC had the strongest correlation (p=<0.01) with the whole hip bone, the ilium and the pubis at distinguishing between larger male and female sex groups. The IPRR, and GSN had the strongest correlation (p=<0.01) with the pubis at distinguishing females and possible females. The results of the study suggest that non-metric traits can discern patterns of female shape better than patterns of male shape. Further research into discerning patterns of male hip bone shape and non-metric trait variation using GM is suggested. The results of the study also suggest that patterns of pubis shape might exist among females and could be identifiable using pubis non-metric trait scores. This result lends credence to the practice of estimating sex on a five-scale gradient rather than on a male/female dichotomous division, in order to capture the morphological variation of female hip bone better. / Graduate / 0327 / 0339 / heatherisobelrobertson@gmail.com

Marek K u č e r a Bioanthropology: A Transdisciplinary Project of Gregory Bateson ABSTRACT The dissertation thesis deals with the work of Anglo-American anthropologist and cybernetician Gregory Bateson. It follows Danish biologist Jesper Hoffmeyer in seeing it as an example of a bioanthropological approach, the approach being defined as a position that sees mind as a particular example of nature that is in a deep sense itself minded. Besides the necessary biographical section the thesis consists of two major parts. The first one consists in exposition of Bateson's anthropological and psychiatric concepts, the second one represents an evaluation and interpretation of Bateson's final synthesis at the highest level of abstraction: the notion of equivalence of biological and epistemological realms of explanation. The major aim of the thesis is to present Bateson's work as a way of integration of humanities and social sciences with biological science that represents an alternative to sociobiological and other neo-darwinian approaches. KEY WORDS: Bateson, bioanthropology, evolution, mind

Entre le VIe et le XIIe siècle, en Gaule, le traitement funéraire des enfants connut certaines évolutions, corrélées à une transformation plus large de l’espace des morts. À la lumière d’une étude interdisciplinaire, qui combine l’analyse des sources écrites (hagiographiques et normatives), archéologiques et biologiques du haut Moyen Âge, je propose d’appréhender l’organisation des sépultures et les modes d’inhumation des enfants, à travers l’analyse de seize sites funéraires, sept nécropoles rurales et neuf cimetières, utilisés du VIe au XIIe siècle. Le développement d’une nouvelle méthode de répartition des enfants en classes d’âges « sociales » (0-2, 3-7, 8-12, 13-17 ans) a permis de repérer des césures et des étapes importantes durant l’enfance, notamment autour de l’âge d’un et de sept ans, qui témoignent de l’évolution de l’identité sociale et se manifestent différemment selon les contextes. Dans les nécropoles, le mobilier déposé auprès des enfants s’accroît en qualité, en quantité et en diversité à partir de huit ans, le genre étant marqué de manière beaucoup plus nette. L’analyse des sources hagiographiques et normatives des VIe-VIIIe siècles permet de lier ce phénomène à la puberté et à l’entrée dans l’âge adulte. Dans les cimetières, on observe un processus de regroupement des tombes d’enfants, attestant une sorte de sectorisation de l’espace funéraire selon l’âge des individus, sans doute vers l’époque carolingienne : les enfants de moins de sept ans sont, en effet, inhumés au plus près des murs des édifices ecclésiaux, selon une tendance qui semble perdurer jusqu’à la fin de la période médiévale. / Between the 6th and 12th century AD in Gaul, we notice an important evolution of funeral rites and treatment of children graves, in parallel with a larger transformation of death space. Based on a multidisciplinary approach, combining the analysis of written sources (hagiographic and normative), archaeology and bioarchaeology, I reconstructed the spatial organization of children graves and burial rituals through the analysis of seven Merovingian cemeteries and nine churchyard burials, in use from the 6th to the 12th century. The development of a new method, which breaks down children distribution into "social" age groups (0-2, 3-7, 8-12, 13-17 years), enabled me to identify shifts and important stages during childhood around the age of one and seven years old. They highlight evolving social identity and present differently depending on the context. In Merovingian cemeteries, grave-goods were of better quality, and more diverse and numerous starting around eight years old, and gender was emphasized much more clearly. The analysis of hagiographic and normative sources dated to the 6th-8th centuries allows the link to puberty and starting adulthood. In churchyard burials, children graves were grouped together and space was structured around age, which seems to characterize the Carolingian period. Children under seven years old have been encountered in preferential areas located closer to church walls, a movement which persists until the end of the medieval period.

A caracterização fenotípica representa uma temática clássica na biologia evolutiva e o modo como diferentes caracteres respondem aos processos evolutivos tem sido problemática frequente em estudos envolvendo as mais diversas espécies. O presente trabalho visou investigar justamente como determinado fenótipo se comporta mediante o fluxo gênico. Primeiramente, explorou-se a possibilidade de se identificar e distinguir a partir de análises de traços craniométricos indivíduos anteriormente separados quanto a cor em três grupos: brancos, negros e pardos. Em um segundo momento, testou-se se a morfologia craniana expressa por indivíduos classificados como pardos seria intermediária em comparação com a expressa por brancos e negros. As análises estatísticas uni e multivariadas empregadas sobre os diferentes bancos de dados (dados brutos, dados das parcelas masculina e feminina separadamente, dados corrigidos para tamanho e também corrigidos para normalidade) apontaram ser possível discriminar os indivíduos previamente classificados de acordo com a cor em brancos, negros e pardos. Estes últimos, por sua vez, apresentam morfologia intermediária entre os grupos considerados parentais. Tais resultados permitem inferir que traços craniométricos, além de bons marcadores para a compreensão das relações histórico-biológicas populacionais, também seguiram o esperado como resposta ao fluxo gênico para um modelo de genética aditiva clássica segundo o qual a população híbrida apresenta frequências médias entre as populações parentais. Apesar de cor da pele e morfologia craniana representarem fenótipos com diferentes histórias evolutivas, observou-se correlação entre os dois caracteres para esta amostra, evidenciando-se que ambos representaram bons marcadores de mistura entre populações / Phenotypic characterization is a classic theme in evolutionary biology. The way different characters respond to evolutionary processes has been a frequent issue in studies involving a diverse number of species. This study aimed to investigate how a particular phenotype behaves by gene flow. First, it was explored the possibility to use analysis of craniometric traits to identify and distinguish individuals previously sorted by color into three groups: white, black and brown. Secondly, it was tested whether the cranial morphology expressed by individuals classified as brown would be intermediate compared to that expressed by whites and blacks. The univariate and multivariate statistical analysis used for the different databases (raw databases, data from male and female portions separately, data ajusted regarding size factor and normality) pointed out to be possible to discriminate individuals previously classified as white, black and brown, the latter being presented as an intermediate morphology between the considered parental groups. These results indicate that craniometric traits, besides being good markers for understanding the historical-biological population relationships, also followed as expected in response to gene flow for a classic additive genetic model, in which the hybrid population has medium frequencies between parental populations. Although skin color and cranial morphology represent phenotypes with different evolutionary histories, it was observed a correlation between the two characters for this sample, indicating that both represent good markers for mixture between populations

A caracterização fenotípica representa uma temática clássica na biologia evolutiva e o modo como diferentes caracteres respondem aos processos evolutivos tem sido problemática frequente em estudos envolvendo as mais diversas espécies. O presente trabalho visou investigar justamente como determinado fenótipo se comporta mediante o fluxo gênico. Primeiramente, explorou-se a possibilidade de se identificar e distinguir a partir de análises de traços craniométricos indivíduos anteriormente separados quanto a cor em três grupos: brancos, negros e pardos. Em um segundo momento, testou-se se a morfologia craniana expressa por indivíduos classificados como pardos seria intermediária em comparação com a expressa por brancos e negros. As análises estatísticas uni e multivariadas empregadas sobre os diferentes bancos de dados (dados brutos, dados das parcelas masculina e feminina separadamente, dados corrigidos para tamanho e também corrigidos para normalidade) apontaram ser possível discriminar os indivíduos previamente classificados de acordo com a cor em brancos, negros e pardos. Estes últimos, por sua vez, apresentam morfologia intermediária entre os grupos considerados parentais. Tais resultados permitem inferir que traços craniométricos, além de bons marcadores para a compreensão das relações histórico-biológicas populacionais, também seguiram o esperado como resposta ao fluxo gênico para um modelo de genética aditiva clássica segundo o qual a população híbrida apresenta frequências médias entre as populações parentais. Apesar de cor da pele e morfologia craniana representarem fenótipos com diferentes histórias evolutivas, observou-se correlação entre os dois caracteres para esta amostra, evidenciando-se que ambos representaram bons marcadores de mistura entre populações / Phenotypic characterization is a classic theme in evolutionary biology. The way different characters respond to evolutionary processes has been a frequent issue in studies involving a diverse number of species. This study aimed to investigate how a particular phenotype behaves by gene flow. First, it was explored the possibility to use analysis of craniometric traits to identify and distinguish individuals previously sorted by color into three groups: white, black and brown. Secondly, it was tested whether the cranial morphology expressed by individuals classified as brown would be intermediate compared to that expressed by whites and blacks. The univariate and multivariate statistical analysis used for the different databases (raw databases, data from male and female portions separately, data ajusted regarding size factor and normality) pointed out to be possible to discriminate individuals previously classified as white, black and brown, the latter being presented as an intermediate morphology between the considered parental groups. These results indicate that craniometric traits, besides being good markers for understanding the historical-biological population relationships, also followed as expected in response to gene flow for a classic additive genetic model, in which the hybrid population has medium frequencies between parental populations. Although skin color and cranial morphology represent phenotypes with different evolutionary histories, it was observed a correlation between the two characters for this sample, indicating that both represent good markers for mixture between populations

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No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - William Dias Borges.pdf: 1079819 bytes, checksum: 0d05f61a58fa352c9d682db4c0ab0cc2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This study investigates the prevalence of arterial hypertension (HAS) in rural, afrodescendant/Quilombola populations of the Brazilian Amazon. Data were collected in individuals 18 years of age or older of three Quilombola communities: África/ Laranjituba (Abaetetuba), Santo Antônio (Concórdia do Pará) and Mangueiras (Salvaterra, Marajó Island). The Brazilian Ministry of Health recommendations were used to classify the levels of hypertension. One hundred and forty two women and 122 men were evaluated, 81.55% are between the ages of 18 and 59 years, 15.47% between 60 and 79 years and 2.98% with 80 or more years. Among men and women the prevalence of HAS is 22.11% and 30.72% respectively. More women than men have HAS stage II and there is correlation between age and HAS in the population. The prevalence of HAS in these Quilombolas is more than the double of that found in the overall Brazilian population, but lower than that observed in Quilombos from Vale do Ribeira, Southeastern Brazil. In relation to the nutritional situation, 34.96% of the population is overweight (23.43% pre-obesity and 11.43% obesity), and, more women are overweight (20.90%) than men (1.97%). In Santo Antônio there were no obese men, 3.80% of the women were obese and 19.30 overweight. In Mangueiras there was the highest number of obese men (13%) followed by women (28.90%), similar to África/ Laranjituba (30.0%). 34.63% of the women presented central obesity, but only 5.1% of the men. Biological factors such as excess weight, and socio-ecologic situations such as feeling of racial discrimination, low socioeconomic status, westernization of eating habits, use of alcohol (50,85%), smoking (24.78%), and lack of access to health services and health information present among the Quilombola have been related to high prevalence of HAS in rural and afrodescendant groups, reinforcing the need for a holistic approach to the full understanding of the ontogeny of HAS among these populations, aiming at the planning and development of public policies adequate to their particular needs. / O presente estudo investiga a prevalência da Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS) em populações rurais, afrodescendentes/Quilombolas, da Amazônia brasileira. Os dados foram coletados em indivíduos de 18 ou mais anos de idade, pertencentes a três comunidades Quilombolas da Amazônia paraense: África/ Laranjituba (Abaetetuba), Santo Antônio (Concórdia do Pará) e Mangueiras (Salvaterra, Ilha do Marajó). Para a classificação nos diferentes níveis pressóricos adotou-se os valores de referência do Ministério da Saúde. Foram analisados 142 mulheres e 122 homens, 81,55% estão na faixa etária de 18 a 59 anos, 15,47% de 60 a 79 anos e 2,98% com 80 anos ou mais. Entre homens e mulheres a prevalência de HAS é 22,11% e 30,72%, respectivamente. Mais mulheres que homens têm HAS estágio II e há correlação entre idade e HAS na população. Observa-se que a prevalência da HAS entre estes Quilombolas é mais que o dobro da encontrada na população Brasileira em geral, mas fica aquém de Quilombos como os do vale do Ribeira. Em relação à situação nutricional 34,96% da população apresenta excesso de peso (23,43% pré-obesidade e 11,43% obesidade) sendo a maior prevalência entre mulheres (20,90%), do que entre homens (1,97%). Em Santo Antônio não foram encontrados homens obesos e as mulheres perfizeram apenas 3,80% com obesidade e 19,30% com sobrepeso. Já em Mangueiras a obesidade foi maior entre os homens das três comunidades (13%) e entre as mulheres a prevalência de 28,90%, assemelhou-se à de África/ Laranjituba (30,0%). 34,63% das mulheres apresentam obesidade central e os homens apenas 5,1%. Fatores biológicos, como o excesso de peso, e sócio-ecológicos, como sentimento de discriminação racial, baixa renda, ocidentalização dos hábitos alimentares, uso de álcool (50,85%), tabagismo (24,78%), e falta de acesso a serviços básicos e informação sobre saúde, todas estas situações presentes entre estes Quilombolas, têm sido relacionados à elevadas prevalências de HAS em populações rurais e afrodescendentes, reforçando a necessidade de uma abordagem holística para a compreensão da ontogenia da HAS entre essas populações vulneráveis da Amazônia, visando ao planejamento de políticas públicas adequadas a sua realidade socioambiental.

La Néolithisation au Proche-Orient est une période phare de l’histoire de l’humanité : c’est en effet à ce moment qu’interviennent de grands changements dans l’économie de subsistance, apportés par l’invention de l’agriculture et de l’élevage. D’autres changements dans le mode de vie sont également engendrés par la sédentarisation et, en dernier lieu, par l’invention de la céramique en tant que récipient. Ces bouleversements que connaissent les populations néolithiques s’observent aussi bien dans l’état sanitaire que dans les pratiques funéraires. Le travail entrepris a donc consisté à étudier les sépultures et les restes humains provenant de sept sites syriens répartis sur toute la période de la Néolithisation. Les pratiques funéraires se complexifient tout au long de la période, bien que les sépultures primaires et individuelles, avec un dépôt des corps en position fléchie sur le côté, soient longtemps restées la norme. Dès le PPNA, des sépultures sont directement associées à certains bâtiments, avant que des lieux d’inhumations spécifiques apparaissent à la fin du PPNB. L’étude anthropologique s’est concentrée sur les pathologies infectieuses osseuses et dentaires ainsi que sur les indicateurs de stress, selectionnés parmi les marqueurs les plus pertinents. Ainsi la tuberculose, la périostite, les caries, les abcès, la perte de dents ante-mortem, la maladie parodontale, les hypoplasies de l’émail dentaire, la Cribra orbitalia et l’hyperostose poreuse ont été systématiquement recherchés sur les squelettes. Après une étude des changements dans l’état de santé des populations site par site, les individus ont été regroupés par périodes afin de mettre en évidence l’impact de la Néolithisation dans une étude diachronique. L’avènement de l’agriculture semble avoir entrainé une augmentation des pathologies dentaires et des indicateurs de stress à la période du PPNB ancien, tandis qu’un pic de stress, enregistré au PPNB moyen, pourrait être relié à l’introduction de l’élevage, qui a pu entrainer des carences alimentaires et peut-être l’apparition de nouvelles maladies infectieuses. De même, la plupart des indicateurs laissent entrevoir une certaine dégradation de l’état sanitaire lors de la dernière période étudiée, le Néolithique céramique. Ce travail a permis de mettre en évidence que les changements intervenus dans l’état de santé sont loin d’être linéaires ; des fluctuations se produisent entre les périodes selon les différents indicateurs, et c’est au PPNB qu’apparaissent les bouleversements les plus importants. Il semblerait en outre que le degré de gravité des pathologies évolue de façon non linéaire tout au long de la Néolithisation. / The Neolithisation of the Near-East is a key period in the history of humanity, when huge changes occur in subsistence economy, triggered by agriculture and animal husbandry. Other changes in lifestyle are generated by sedentarization and eventually by the invention of pottery as container. The disruptions known by the Neolithic populations are to be found both in their health status and funerary practices. The sepultures and human remains from seven Syrian archaeological sites are studied in this work over the entire period of Neolithisation. The funerary practices become more complex over time, although the primary individual sepultures, with the corpse laid in a flexed position on one side, remain the standard for a long time. From the PPNA, some sepultures are directly associated with particular buildings, until specific burial areas appear towards the end of the PPNB. The bioanthropological study focuses on infectious diseases affecting bones and teeth and on stress indicators, with a selection of the most relevant features. The skeletons were thus systematically examined for signs of tuberculosis, periostitis, dental caries and abcesses, ante-mortem tooth loss, periodontal disease, dental hypoplasia, Cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis. A site by site study of health status changes was carried out first, then the individuals were gathered by period in order to bring to light the impact of the Neolithisation processes in a diachronic study. The advent of agriculture seems to have entailed an increase in dental pathologies and stress indicators in the early PPNB, and a peak of stress registered in the middle PPNB could be related to the introduction of animal husbandry, creating dietary deficiency and new infectious diseases. Most of the markers indicate a deterioration in health status during the last studied period, the Pottery Neolithic. This work establishes that changes in health status were far from linear; the different indicators pointing to fluctuations between the periods, with the most important changes featuring in the PPNB. Furthermore, it suggests that the severity of the pathologies evolved in a non linear way throughout the Neolithisation.

L'âge au sevrage est un trait d'histoire de vie qui affecte le succès reproductif des femelles. Sa détermination à partir d'observations de la tétée est limitée en raison de l'allaitement de confort ou de nuit. Le suivi de l'alimentation des nourrissons, à partir des isotopes stables de carbone et d'azote fécaux (δ13C, δ15N %N) est une alternative précise et non invasive aux méthodes comportementales. Les âges de sevrage chez le colobe magistrat (Colobus vellerosus) à BFMS, Ghana, ont été déterminés en utilisant les δ13C et δ15N fécaux, et ceux-ci ont été comparés aux évaluations comportementales du sevrage. Les différences d'âge au sevrage entre trois groupes de colobes différents ont également été comparées. Des échantillons fécaux ont été collectés auprès de 8 dyades de mères (N = 88 fèces) et de leurs enfants (N = 98 fèces). Les échantillons ont été homogénéisés et analysés dans un spectromètre de masse à rapport isotopique et un analyseur élémentaire. L'âge moyen du sevrage chez tous les nourrissons ayant utilisé des isotopes stables fécaux était de 15,75 mois, ce qui était supérieur à l'âge moyen du sevrage déterminé à partir des observations de l'allaitement (14,6 mois). Deux nourrissons ont été sevrés avant le début de la collecte des données fécales, deux avaient un âge isotopique au sevrage similaire à leur âge de sevrage comportemental, et deux avaient un âge isotopique au sevrage supérieur à leur âge comportemental. Deux nourrissons dont on a déterminé qu'ils n'étaient pas encore sevrés d'après les évaluations isotopiques n'ont pas été observés en train de téter et ont montré des différences δ15N nourrisson-mère alternativement plus grandes et plus petites entre 6 et 9 mois. Cela peut indiquer un processus de sevrage cyclique, les nourrissons devenant plus ou moins dépendants du lait au cours de la période de 4 mois. Il semblait y avoir des différences dans les âges moyens de sevrage isotopique entre les groupes. Mon étude a montré que les isotopes stables fécaux peuvent être utilisés avec succès pour surveiller le développement nutritionnel des nourrissons et les différences de niveau trophique entre le nourrisson et la mère chez les singes colobes arboricoles. / Age at weaning is a life-history trait that affects the reproductive success of females. Its determination from observations of suckling is limited due to comfort and night nursing. To monitor infant diets, fecal stable carbon, and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C, δ15N %N) provide an accurate and non-invasive alternative to behavioral methods. Weaning ages in ursine colobus (Colobus vellerosus) at BFMS, Ghana was determined using fecal δ13C and δ15N, and these were compared to behavioral weaning assessments. I also compared differences in weaning ages between three different colobus groups. Fecal samples were collected from 8 dyads of mothers (N = 88 feces) and their infants (N = 98 feces). The samples were homogenized and analyzed in an isotope ratio mass spectrometer and elemental analyzer. The mean weaning age among all infants using fecal stable isotopes was 15.75 months, which was older than the mean weaning age determined from observations of nursing (14.6 months). Two infants were weaned before fecal data collection began, two had an isotopic age at weaning similar to their behavioral weaning age, and two had an isotopic age at weaning that was older than their behavioral age. Two infants who were determined to be not yet weaned from isotopic assessments were not observed to nurse and showed alternately larger and smaller δ15N infant-mother differences between 6 and 9 months. This may indicate a cyclic weaning process, with infants becoming more or less dependent on milk over the 4-month period. There appeared to be differences in the average isotopic weaning ages between groups. My study showed that fecal stable isotopes can be successfully used to monitor infant nutritional development and infant-mother trophic level differences in arboreal colobus monkeys.

La fin du Pléistocène et le début de l’Holocène sont marqués par des bouleversements environnementaux d’une ampleur et d’une intensité exceptionnelles en Europe de l’Ouest. Ces quelque huit millénaires ont été scindés en périodes chronoculturelles principalement à partir de critères typotechnologiques de l’industrie lithique, correspondant au Paléolithique final, et au premier et au second Mésolithique. L’identité biologique des groupes humains de cette période n’avait jusqu’alors jamais été étudiée de façon spécifique et la réalité anthropologique de ces partitions pose question. À partir d’un corpus réactualisé de 70 sites couvrant les territoires actuels de la France, de l’Allemagne, de la Belgique, du Luxembourg, de la Suisse, de l’Italie, de l’Espagne et du Portugal, ce sont 617 spécimens pour les restes osseux et 251 pour les restes dentaires qui ont été analysés. Des caractéristiques squelettiques ont été enregistrées et analysées selon un protocole unique : proportions squelettiques comme la stature, l’indice brachial et l’indice crural, morphométrie crânienne et mandibulaire, analyse par morphométrie géométrique de la conformation du neurocrâne et variations anatomiques non métriques crâniennes et dentaires. L’ensemble des données recueillies a fait l’objet de traitements statistiques adaptés, descriptifs, multivariés et exploratoires. Parmi les résultats obtenus, l’analyse métrique et morphologique de la mandibule révèle des changements microévolutifs de la morphologie mandibulaire en lien avec l’intensification de l’élargissement du spectre des ressources consommées au cours du Mésolithique. Un fonctionnement différent des groupes est proposé entre ceux établis sur les zones côtières et les continentaux. Les groupes côtiers seraient organisés selon un système plutôt fermé, traduit par la structuration régionale des données anthropobiologiques, alors que les groupes continentaux, bien qu’ayant un ancrage local, possèderaient des réseaux d’échanges plus larges et/ou plus réguliers. Enfin, la permanence des groupes humains du Paléolithique final au Mésolithique est avancée, ainsi qu’au sein des zones côtières durant tout le Mésolithique, alors qu’une discontinuité populationnelle entre premier et second Mésolithique est mise en évidence dans l’aire continentale. L’hypothèse d’une arrivée de nouveaux groupes depuis les régions situées plus à l’est, poussés par la progression néolithique en Europe centrale à partir du VIIème millénaire cal BC est avancée, rejoignant un des scenarii proposés à partir de l’analyse de l’ADN ancien. / Environmental changes of exceptional magnitude and intensity occurred during the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene in Western Europe. These- some eight millennia- have been divided into chronocultural periods based on typotechnological lithic industries, corresponding to the Late Palaeolithic and the Early and Late Mesolithic. The biological identity of the human groups from this lengthy period of time has never previously been studied in a systematic way, and the anthropological meaning of these divisions remains unclear. In order to fill this gap in knowledge, this thesis presents the results of analyses of an up-to-date sample of 617 skeletal specimens and 251 dental remains covering 70 sites from France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Skeletal characteristics, including skeletal proportions- stature, brachial and crural indices -, cranial and mandibular morphometrics, geometric morphometric analysis of the neurocranium, and non-metric skeletal and dental traits were recorded and analysed using a single protocol. All data collected were subjected to suitable descriptive, multivariate and exploratory statistical treatments. Among the results obtained, the metric and morphological analysis of the mandible reveals micro-evolutionary morphological changes related to the intensified exploitation of a broader spectrum of food resources during the Mesolithic. Human groups in coastal zones differ from those located further inland. Coastal groups evince a rather closed system, reflected by a regional structure of bioanthropological data, whereas inland groups, while locally based, are characterized by broader and/or more regular networks of population interaction. Finally, there appears to be continuity between human groups from the Late Palaeolithic to the Early Mesolithic, as well as throughout the Mesolithic in coastal areas, while population discontinuity between the Early and Later Mesolithic is highlighted in the continental area. The arrival of new groups from areas further east, driven by Neolithic population advances through Central Europe from the 7th millennium BC cal is hypothesised, similar to one of the scenarios proposed from the analysis of aDNA.