Archaeologists Unearth Beads Made of Human Teeth in Ancient Turkish City
The molars found in Çatalhöyük are the first such beads found in the Near East
Lead author Scott Haddow says, "Given the small sample size, the ultimate meaning of the human teeth pendants will remain elusive until new findings ... can help us better contextualize [them]." (University of Copenhagen)
By Jason Daley
SMITHSONIAN.COM
DECEMBER 16, 2019
Researchers conducting excavations at the Neolithic city of Çatalhöyük have found a grisly type of artifact never previously documented in the ancient Near East: jewelry made out of human teeth.
As Kristina Killgrove reports for Forbes, Çatalhöyük, a Unesco World Heritage Site located in south central Anatolia (now Turkey), was active between 7,100 and 5,500 B.C. Archaeologists have worked in the area since the 1960s, but the three 8,500-year-old teeth—unearthed between 2013 and 2015—are the first of their kind found at the site. The scientists’ research is detailed in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
According to a press release, the teeth appear to have been intentionally drilled. Microscopic analysis revealed wear patterns consistent with use as a jewelry bead on two of the altered molars, but an assessment of the third tooth proved inconclusive.
“Not only had the two teeth been drilled with a conically shaped microdrill similar to those used for creating the vast amounts of beads from animal bone and stone that we have found at the site,” says lead author Scott Haddow of the University of Copenhagen, “but they also showed signs of wear corresponding to extensive use as ornaments in a necklace or bracelet.”
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/beads-made-human-teeth-found-ancient-city-turkey-180973794/