Özet:

Abstract Typically observed with short stature, dwarfism can be of genetic origin as well as originated from the insufficiency of pituitary and thyroid hormones. Other causes of dwarfism are listed as overworking of adrenal gland, early maturation, and diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys or other internal organ diseases such as the liver disease and causes related with malnutrition. Whatever the reasons are, physiologically short stature is the common result but occurrence of differences among them provides determination of the cause of dwarfism. Most common form among types of dwarfism is of genetic origin and known as acondroplasia. According to anthropological records, earliest dwarf skeleton is found in Ancient Egypt (4500 B.C.). In Anatolia a dwarf skeleton from Roman Period was found. Dwarfism is one of the most commonly represented physical malformations and this fact has been proven by the archeological findings. Artistic representations of dwarfism of different populations and civilizations possess different properties. Ancient Egypt, Greek, Roman, Mayan, and Indian civilizations produced various representations in sculpture, painting, mosaic and literature on dwarfism. Attributes to dwarfism show variations from society to society. Some societies accept dwarfism as a normal condition, whereas some others make supernatural attributes to dwarfism. In ancient Egypt, dwarfism is related with god Bes and is a part of festivals held for Dionyssos in ancient Greece. According to Mayan beliefs, there is an interrelation between dwarfs, world and underworld. They believe that world is cubic and dwarfs share the bottom of this cube with dead people and also help the sun to pass through the night. Because of such properties they can be called as “Masters of the World” and dwarf figures can be seen as holding their hands to sky in this culture. In many of the ancient cultures daily life presentations of dwarfs have interesting features. In this context, our study includes representations of dwarfism in ancient civilizations and aspect of those civilizations on dwarfism. Keywords: Dwarfism; Achondroplasia; Paleopathology; Paleoanthropology; Short Stature

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