External auditory exostoses and early Neolithic aquatic resource procurement in Cyprus: Results from Cypro-PPNB Kissonerga-Mylouthkia in regional context.

OBJECTIVE: This research is designed to evaluate the occurrence of external auditory exostoses (EAEs) in skeletal remains from the oldest known water wells in the world (Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, Cyprus, 8,200-7,200 BCE). MATERIALS: Six individuals (MNI = 6), five fragmentary temporalia, two preserved auditory canals. METHODS: Macroscopic and microscopic (up to x30) observation, with illumination; presence, type, side, severity, occlusion, number, and position of bony growths recorded. RESULTS: Bony growths within two auditory canals were discovered. Differential diagnosis includes osteomata and external auditory exostoses, with the latter consistent with the bony growths (Grade 1 EAEs, two adult males, one with single, another with two EAEs). CONCLUSIONS: The emergence of the Neolithic in Southwest Asia is thought to involve increases in dietary breadth among foraging societies (Broad-Spectrum Revolution). EAEs likely indicate maritime activity in this context, given the lack of freshwater bodies, and zooarchaeological evidence points to dietary and other uses of maritime organisms. SIGNIFICANCE: This EAE evidence is the oldest known in maritime contexts in Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and first in Cyprus. It contributes towards understanding the initial colonization events by Neolithic farming communities in the 9th millennium BC, and the emergence of broad-spectrum economies at the dawn of the Neolithic in Southwest Asia, crucial for re-considerations of paradigms on the transition to the Neolithic way of life in the Near East. LIMITATIONS: Only a few skeletal remains from these prehistoric contexts were available for observation. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further intensive review of Cypriot skeletal collections for EAEs is advised.

External auditory exostoses in the Xuchang and Xujiayao human remains: Patterns and implications among eastern Eurasian Middle and Late Pleistocene crania.

In the context of Middle and Late Pleistocene eastern Eurasian human crania, the external auditory exostoses (EAE) of the late archaic Xuchang 1 and 2 and the Xujiayao 15 early Late Pleistocene human temporal bones are described. Xujiayao 15 has small EAE (Grade 1), Xuchang 1 presents bilateral medium EAE (Grade 2), and Xuchang 2 exhibits bilaterally large EAE (Grade 3), especially on the right side. These cranial remains join the other eastern Eurasian later Pleistocene humans in providing frequencies of 61% (N = 18) and 58% (N = 12) respectively for archaic and early modern human samples. These values are near the upper limits of recent human frequencies, and they imply frequent aquatic exposure among these Pleistocene humans. In addition, the medial extents of the Xuchang 1 and 2 EAE would have impinged on their tympanic membranes, and the large EAE of Xuchang 2 would have resulted in cerumen impaction. Both effects would have produced conductive hearing loss, a serious impairment in a Pleistocene foraging context.

Concurrence of Torus Palatinus, Torus Mandibularis and Buccal Exostosis.

Torus palatinus (TP), torus mandibularis (TM), and buccal exostosis are localised, benign, osseous projections, occurring in maxilla and mandible. Etiology is multifactorial and not well established. Tori and exostoses have been associated with parafunctional occlusal habits, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, migraine and consumption of fish. Concurrence of TP, TM, and exostosis in the same individual is very rare. Concurrence of TPand TM has not been reported from Pakistan. We report a case of a 22-year female patient manifesting concurrence of TP, bilateral TM, and maxillary buccal exostoses; with possible association of abnormal occlusal stresses and use of calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Water-related occupations and diet in two Roman coastal communities (Italy, first to third century AD): correlation between stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values and auricular exostosis prevalence.

The reconstruction of dietary patterns in the two Roman imperial age coastal communities of Portus and Velia (I-III AD) by means of stable isotope analysis of bone remains has exposed a certain degree of heterogeneity between and within the two samples. Results do not correlate with any discernible mortuary practices at either site, which might have pointed to differential social status. The present study tests the hypothesis of a possible connection between dietary habits and occupational activities in the two communities. Among skeletal markers of occupation, external auricular exostosis (EAE) has proved to be very informative. Clinical and retrospective epidemiological surveys have revealed a strong positive correlation between EAE development and habitual exposure to cold water. In this study, we show that there is a high rate of occurrence of EAE among adult males in both skeletal samples (21.1% in Portus and 35.3% in Velia). Further, there is a statistically significant higher prevalence of EAE among those individuals at Velia with very high nitrogen isotopic values. This points to fishing (coastal, low-water fishing) as the sea-related occupation most responsible for the onset of the ear pathology. For Portus, where the consumption of foods from sea and river seems to be more widespread through the population, and where the scenario of seaport and fluvial activities was much more complex than in Velia, a close correlation between EAE and fish consumption by fishermen is less easy to establish.

Auditory exostoses as an aquatic activity marker: a comparison of coastal and inland skeletal remains from tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil.

Auditory exostoses are bone masses located in the external auditory canal. Currently, most researchers agree that the environment (especially water temperature, but also atmospheric temperature and wind action) plays a pivotal role in the development of this trait. This article discusses whether the presence of auditory exostoses can be used as an aquatic activity marker in bioarchaeological studies, especially in groups that inhabited tropical and subtropical regions. We analyzed 676 skeletons (5,000 years BP to historical times) from 27 coastal and inland native Brazilian groups. Very low frequencies of auditory exostoses were found in the inland groups (0.00-0.03), but the expected high frequency of auditory exostoses in the coastal groups was not always observed (0.00-0.56). These differences might be explained by the combination of water and atmospheric temperatures in conjunction with wind effects. In areas with mild atmospheric temperatures and wind chill factors, the coastal populations analyzed do not show high frequencies of auditory exostoses. However, high frequencies of auditory exostoses develop where cold atmospheric temperatures are further lowered by strong wind chill. Therefore, the association between aquatic activities, low atmospheric temperature, and wind chill is strongly correlated with the presence of auditory exostoses, but where these environmental factors are mild, the frequencies of auditory exostoses are not necessarily high. Concluding, auditory exostoses should be cautiously used as a marker of aquatic activity in bioarchaeological studies in tropical and subtropical regions, since these activities do not always result in the presence of this trait.

Diseases of the skull in pre-Columbian South American mummies.

OBJECTIVE: The majority of paleopathological investigations focus on the study of the skull. This is because the skull is the most frequently preserved part of the human body recovered from archaeological excavations. From studying the skull, a variety of information can be obtained regarding the individual, such as sex, age, nutritional status, and other disease processes, if present. METHODS: This study represents the examination of more than 700 human skulls recovered from archaeological excavations from the Andean region of southern Peru and northern Chile and dating back more than 8000 years. RESULTS: A variety of skull abnormalities were encountered. The nonmetric variables of Huschke's foramina and palatine tori were common. Cranial deformation was observed in more than 85% of the cases. There were two cases of sagittal synostosis. Iron deficiency anemia resulting in porotic hyperostosis of the skull was evident in certain cultures. Exostoses of the external auditory canal resulting from chronic otitis was evident only among coastal populations. One skull demonstrated a periostitis consistent with Treponema infection. Trephination was encountered only in the skulls from Peru. Fifty-four cases of skull fractures were observed, half of which showed evidence of healing. Finally, only two cases of neoplastic skull lesions were encountered. CONCLUSION: The study of the human skull alone provides a large amount of information regarding the health and diseases of ancient populations.

On the etiology and pathogenesis of porotic hyperostosis of the skull.

The 256 skulls and 66 skull fragments of the pre-Columbian Peruvian Indians in the Hrdlicka archeologic collection were examined for a porous bone lesion known as porotic hyperostosis. The age, sex, and geographic distribution, as well as the severity and pattern of involvement of the skull bones were noted in an attempt to define the etiology and the pathogenesis of the lesion. Porotic hyperostosis of the skull was present in 20% of the specimens and was probably caused by marrow expansion on the basis of iron deficiency. The lesion was more prevalent and severe among coastal dwellers; men and women were equally affected, and the parietal and occipital bones were the most frequently involved sites. Severe cases were observed only in infants and children, presumably because of limited marrow space and a special predilection for iron deficiency in infants, and of healing of the lesion in adults. Radiographic abnormalities included thinning of the outer table of the skull, diploic space widening, and a "hair-on-end" appearance. Sixty percent of all cases and 100% of severe cases demonstrated one or more of these findings.