8,500-year-old human teeth found to be used as jewelry

Surface worn teeth are thought to be those of people in their 30s and 50s, with small holes made to make necklaces or bracelets.

Two small teeth are perforated to make jewelry.(Photo: Fox News).

Scientists found three teeth with perforated marks at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site, Turkey, between 2013-2015. After conducting many analyzes, they determined that two of them had been chained or made pendants, Fox News today reported.

"The ancients punched two teeth with a small conical drill, similar to the tool used to carve a series of animal bones and beads that we found at Çatalhöyük. In addition, they have traces of wear. worn due to frequent use as part of a necklace or bracelet, " said Scott Haddow, an archaeologist at the University of Copenhagen, the lead author of the study.

It is likely that two teeth were taken from adults after their death. The abrasion on the chewing surface shows that they are about 30-50 years old. This is the first time researchers have found evidence of this practice in prehistoric Near East.

"Because this practice is extremely rare, we think it is possible that the teeth are not only jewelry but also have some profound symbolic meaning with the wearer , " Haddow said.

This is one of the remarkable findings about the Stone Age people in recent years. Last year, Swedish scientists discovered many 8,000-year-old skulls embedded in wooden poles to perform a Stone Age ritual. In 2017, a team of Turkish experts revealed that the skull could have been used to decorate an ancient temple.

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