A Possible Case of 'Poll-Evil' in an Early Scythian Horse Skull from Arzhan 1, Tuva Republic, Central Asia

Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya nab., 18, 191186,St Petersburg, RussiaABSTRACT OccipitalbonelesionsonanIronAgehorsecraniumfromtheburialmoundofArzhan1,Tuva,CentralAsia,aredescribed and interpreted. Cavitationsaround thenuchal ligamentattachment siteon theskull areinterpretedas foci of inflammation and necrosis following local infection. It is suggested that the pathology represents acase of ‘poll-evil’, most likely due to a bacterial infection. The significance of such an interpretation isdiscussed, including its implications for disease ecology and the possible infection risks to contiguousanimalandhumancommunitiesofthefirstmillenniumBCinCentralAsia.Copyright 2009JohnWileyS horse; ‘poll-evil’; Iron Age; Central Asia; disease ecology; pastoral nomadism

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