Auditory exostoses among the prepottery neolithic inhabitants of Çayönü and Aşıklı, Anatolia; its relation to aquatic activities

Most researchers argue that there is general agreement on the role of environmental and behavioral factors on the onset of the auditory exostoses. Accordingly, it can be considered an aquatic activity marker in bioarchaeological studies. In this paper, the prevalence of external auditory exostoses was examined between two prepottery Neolithic communities from Aşıklı Hüyük and Çayönü Tepesi in Anatolia. Both the etiology of the ear exostoses and the causative interactions between aquatic activities and the occurrence of this trait were discussed. Of 97 adult skulls (59 males, 38 females) from the Çayönü sample only 17 subjects (15 males and 2 females) showed this bony outgrowth with a prevalence of 17.52%. There is a strong male bias in lesion frequency. Among the 28 adult skulls that were examined from Aşıklı (11 males, 17 females), only one young male (3.57%) was affected with ear exostoses. This bony lesion is completely lacking in subadults (<15 years) of both skeletal samples.

► The importance of environmental and behavioral conditions on the expression of EAE has been suggested by several authors.
► Prolonged and repetitive aquatic activities in Çayönü Neolithic village might have been responsible for the occurrence of exostoses.
► A strong male bias (male 15.46%; female 2.06%) of ear exostoses was observed in the total skeletal sample from Çayönü.
► Compared to Çayönü (17.52%), external auditory canal exostoses were seen with a lower ratio (3.57%) at Aşıklı.
► With regard to behavioral strategies there might be some differences between Çayönü and Aşıklı neolithic people.