ИСТИНА

In the study of material from cranial MSU collection, dated from Mesolithic to Neolithic period, emphasis was placed on identifying middle ear disease (external auditory channel stenosis - EACS), associated with various causes (infection of specific and non-specific nature, traumas and probably the effects of diving in cold water). The pathology is acquired with age and is fixed in the adult population. The topic is relevant for the reconstruction of the life of hunter-gatherer societies, as individuals with the pathology have a decrease in hearing, tinnitus is observed, and often severe headaches occur, which makes such a person not successful in hunting. A high frequency of occurrence of this trait in several cemeteries was noted. Traces of EACS were noted in one case (6.7%) in the Voloshsky site, dating from the Mesolithic epoch; in 18.2% in the Vovnigi I cemetery and 43.5% in the Vovnigi II site. The last two sites are located opposite each other on both sides of the Dnieper and belong to the circle of the Dnepro-Donets community. The sites are dated by the finale of the early stage (Vovnigi II) and the beginning of the late stage (Vovnigi I) of the Dnepro-Donets culture, in absolute dates of about 5500 BC. (Telegin, Potekhina 1987). A gender-based assessment showed that EACS dominates in the male part of the investigated population. A comparative analysis with other Mesolithic and Neolithic series showed that the highest incidence of ear pathologies is observed in the north of Europe, in groups that are located near large water bodies. Our data is matched with results known for the Mesolithic groups of Central Europe. The frequency of the pathology in synchronous series from southwestern Europe is lower that we fixed for Vovnigi groups.