A life in the sea: Prevalence of auditory exostosis among the nonadult prehispanic population of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands)

The permanent settlement of North African Amazigh groups on the island of Gran Canaria during the early centuries of the Common Era, as in the remainder of the Canary archipelago, entailed the transference and subsequent adaptation of mainland lifeways and ideological frameworks to an insular context. This study focuses on the interaction between the Indigenous population and the sea to understand how this relationship evolved over time and shaped their organizational principles. As a methodological proxy, the prevalence of external auditory exostosis (bony growths in the ear canal) among the nonadult population was analyzed to infer recurrent exposure to cold water patterns. Due to the absence of viable morphoscopic sexing methods for nonadults, proteomic analysis of dental enamel was used to sex some individuals in the sample. The analysis revealed that 13.25% exhibited external auditory exostosis, comparable to the previously reported 17.11% in the adult population. These data are contextualized within broader discussions on sociocultural mechanisms of identity construction related to childhood. The findings suggest significant transformations in the use and management of marine resources from the eleventh century onward, indicating that longstanding subsistence strategies underwent modification, including increased fishing with nets, intensified occupation of the coastline, increased marine resources in the diet, development of fishing-related technologies (fishhooks, fish scalers), etc. This shift marked the emergence of a historical trajectory in which coastal landscapes assumed an increasingly central role in the later stages of the ancient Canarians society.