Of the predisposing factor of Cribra orbitalia among past populations of Eastern Europe

This study analyzes original data and data published in literature relating to 70 series covering the period from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The data have been grouped into three categories: 1 - geographical localization (origin in the area of grid north and the south of the Russian Plain); 2 - mobility (sedentary/nomadic); 3 - residence (urban/ rural). In southern urban series the prevalence of cribra orbitalia among children and adults has been found higher than in the northern areas where the situation is reverse, the prevalence of this pathology among the urban residents is lower than among the rural population. The highest prevalence of this disease has been recorded for the sedentary population that lived in the south of the Russian Plain, while the lowest has been observed among the nomadic groups. It is clear that the food factor has an important role to play as it is the diet that determines how vitamins and micronutrients are absorbed by the body, the food factor also has an impact on the ability to absorb the nutrients that the body needs. Another adverse factor are crowded and unsanitary living conditions. Studies with the use of pathological, parasitological and stable isotope data at the individual level seem to have good prospects.