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.

中文翻译：

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塞浦路斯的外耳外生骨和早期新石器时代水生资源采购：来自 Cypro-PPNB Kissonerga-Mylouthkia 的区域背景结果。

客观的

这项研究旨在评估世界上已知最古老水井（塞浦路斯基索内加-米卢斯基亚，公元前 8,200-7,200 年）的骨骼遗骸中外耳外生骨瘤 (EAE) 的发生情况。

材料

六个人（MNI = 6），五个零碎的颞骨，两个保留的耳道。

方法

宏观和微观（高达 x30）观察，带照明；记录骨生长的存在、类型、侧面、严重程度、咬合、数量和位置。

结果

发现了两个耳道内的骨质增生。鉴别诊断包括骨瘤和外听性外生骨肉瘤，后者与骨生长一致（1 级 EAE，两名成年男性，一名为单发，另一名有两个 EAE）。

结论

西南亚新石器时代的出现被认为涉及觅食社会饮食范围的增加（广谱革命）。鉴于缺乏淡水体，EAE 可能表明在这种情况下的海洋活动，并且动物考古证据表明海洋生物的饮食和其他用途。

意义

这个 EAE 证据是东地中海和中东海洋环境中已知的最古老的证据，首先是在塞浦路斯。它有助于理解公元前 9 世纪新石器时代农业社区的最初殖民事件，以及西南亚新石器时代初期广谱经济的出现，这对于重新考虑向新石器时代方式过渡的范式至关重要近东地区的生活。

限制

只有少数来自这些史前环境的骨骼遗骸可供观察。

进一步研究的建议

建议对 EAE 的塞浦路斯骨骼收集进行进一步深入审查。