Dental Disease and Dietary Differences in Populations of Nea Paphos, Cyprus, During the Hellenistic (312–58  <scp>bc</scp> ) and Roman (58  <scp>bc</scp> –395  <scp>ad</scp> ) Periods

ABSTRACT This paper investigates dietary patterns, population‐ and sex‐related behaviors in Hellenistic (312–58 bc ) and Roman (58 bc –395 ad ) Nea Paphos, Cyprus, through dental disease analysis. The study examines the dentition of 229 individuals from two necropoleis, the Eastern Necropolis of Nea Paphos (minimum number of individuals = 97) and the necropolis at Ktima (Modern Paphos)‐ Upper City (minimum number of individuals = 132). Dental caries, calculus, periapical cavities, periodontal disease, and ante‐mortem tooth loss were recorded as proxies to explore dietary patterns and variation within and between the two sites. Caries, calculus, and periapical cavities occurred at low frequencies across both assemblages, whereas ante‐mortem tooth loss and periodontal disease were more common. Overall, Ktima displayed higher rates of dental pathology than the Eastern Necropolis, suggesting differences between the two populations. Intrasite and intersite comparisons indicated sex‐related differences, often statistically significant. This study represents one of the few bioarcheological investigations of dental disease in ancient Cyprus, and the first to examine Hellenistic‐Roman dietary patterns and social distinctions linked to site and sex. It establishes a foundation for future research, employing complementary methods (e.g., isotopic analysis, dental microwear, and calculus analysis of microdebris) and including larger datasets of Cypriot assemblages for comparative analysis.