Diet and Oral Health of Scythian Populations in Ukraine (700–200 bce): Evidence for Grain Consumption and Food Processing

ABSTRACT

We examined whether Scythian‐era populations living in different ecological zones had distinctive oral health patterns during the Iron Age. Our interdisciplinary approach should clarify whether these populations had different diets or behavioral practices. A total of 36 individuals were analyzed for caries, calculus, abscesses, ante‐mortem tooth loss, and dental wear. In addition, previously published stable isotope analyses of tooth enamel bioapatite on 51 individuals were compared with oral health and dental wear. Sites were located in distinct vegetation zones, with Bilsk and Medvin located in the northern and central forest‐steppe and Mamai‐Gora situated in the southern steppe. Dental wear was significantly higher for individuals at Mamai‐Gora when compared with populations at Medvin and Bilsk. This difference was supported by stable isotope evidence. Among individuals at Bilsk, those who consumed higher levels of millet had lower levels of dental wear, while those at Medvin had the opposite effect, where greater dental wear was linked to moderate levels of millet consumption. Dental pathologies at Mamai‐Gora indicate a coarse diet, and isotopic results indicate a greater consumption of wheat and barley at this site. The combination of evidence from stable isotopes and dental attrition indicates that variation in consumption patterns was relative to local ecologies and further supports diverse subsistence strategies for Scythian‐era populations. Further, differential dental wear between populations with similar diets suggests that a diversity in the processing of grains may be the root cause of variation in oral health.