12.4 C
London
Saturday, December 7, 2024
HomeScienceHuman teeth used as pendants in Turkey 8500 years ago

Human teeth used as pendants in Turkey 8500 years ago

Related stories

J&K police release list of seized assets used for terrorism

Jammu, Feb 16 : The police in Jammu and...

Israel says 4 mln citizens vaccinated against Covid-19

Jerusalem, Feb 17 : Israeli officials announced that some...

Hungary to receive first shipment of Chinese vaccines

Beijing, Feb 17 : A Hungarian cargo plane loaded...

London:  Researchers have discovered two 8,500-year-old human teeth, which were used as pendants in a necklace or bracelet, at a prehistoric archaeological site in Turkey.
The rarity of the find suggests that the human teeth were imbued with profound symbolic meaning for the people who wore them, said archaeologists from University of Copenhagen.
During excavations at the Neolithic site of Çatalhoyuk in Turkey between 2013 and 2015, researchers found three 8,500-year-old-teeth that appeared to have been intentionally drilled to be worn as beads in a necklace or bracelet.
Subsequent analyses confirmed that two of the teeth had indeed been used as beads or pendants, researchers wrote in an article in Journal of Archaeological Science.
“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, but they also showed signs of wear corresponding to extensive use as ornaments in a necklace or bracelet,” explained Scott Haddow, University of Copenhagen archaeologist.
The evidence suggests that the two teeth pendants were probably extracted from two mature individuals post-mortem.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories