Abstract
Acquired external ear exostoses are auditory disorders presumably associated with prolonged or repeated exposure to cold aquatic activities. At the ancient necropolis of Thasos, Greece, a low prevalence of auditory exostoses has been documented involving one adult male out of an initially larger number of individuals. However, according to historical and archaeological records, the City-state was renowned in antiquity for the strength of its fleet and its seafaring activities. In addition to auditory exostoses, this individual showed distinct similarities to a select sample of 16 males out of 57 individuals interred in proximal contextual associations near the shoreline. This may comprise a pattern of occupational conditions when juxtaposed with the context of the larger skeletal population studied at Thasos so far. This study also presents comparative ethnographic information relative to occupational changes documented among a surviving group of wooden boat craftsmen on Thasos, comprising nine male individuals of diverse age-subgroups and intra-trade specializations. It is proposed that the low incidence of external auditory exostoses from ancient Thasos may not necessarily reflect issues of preservation or population sample, but rather the specificity of activities within the domain of specific maritime occupations.