This paper identifies the presence and etiology of maxillary sinusitis in archaeological populations from protohistoric (1500 B.C.) and medieval (around 17th century) India. 339 human skeleton remains found at the archaeological sites of Chalcolithic Nevasa (1500~600 B.C.), Inamgaon (1000~700 B.C.), Balathal (2000 B.C.), Megalithic Kodumanal (400 B.C.~100 A.D.), Early Historic Navdatoli (200 B.C.), Kodumanal (100~300 A.D.) and Jotsoma (17th c A.D.) were studied. Macroscopic physical examination revealed that 9 individuals out of 74 observable individuals (12.16%) suffered from inflammation. Of this, 6 were male while 3 were female. Considering the ethnographic aspects, the study reveals that inflammation possibly caused by inhaling polluted air for a long duration or because of dental disease. Also, apart from pollution in domestic zones, external pollution because of vocation is also discussed in this study using relevant ethnographic parallels.
Female ; Humans ; India* ; Inflammation ; Inhalation ; Leprosy ; Male ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Maxillary Sinusitis* ; Occupations ; Physical Examination ; Skeleton ; Stomatognathic Diseases