A new study published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences revealed the techniques used by prehistoric communities in north-eastern Europe to extract animal teeth for crafting personal ornaments. This research offers fresh insights into the daily lives and cultural practices of Stone Age hunter-gatherers, according to Phys.org.
Thousands of animal teeth modified into pendants have been discovered in North European Stone Age graves. Notably, more than 2,000 such pendants were excavated from the Zvejnieki cemetery site in Latvia, dating from 7500 to 2500 cal. BCE.
The research team employed experimental archaeology to uncover how these ancient peoples extracted teeth from animal skulls. They tested seven different extraction methods: cutting, striking, percussion, air drying, soaking, direct heating, and various cooking techniques. After conducting a series of experiments, the researchers found that the most effective methods of extracting teeth were wet boiling and steaming in a pit.
These methods allowed for high extraction rates without damaging the teeth, while also cooking the meat and brains of the skulls to make them edible. The cooking methods preserved the bones intact and usable as raw material for other tools.
"In obtaining and detaching the teeth, cooking, making personal ornaments, and funeral rituals were combined, highlighting the cultural significance of these practices," the study noted. The findings suggest that tooth extraction was not merely a functional task but an integral part of broader cultural practices.
The results challenge the assumption that the teeth used for jewelry and ornaments were simply collectable and easily available. Instead, the research indicates that creating products from animal teeth was a complex, multi-stage process closely related to the cultural traditions of ancient communities.
"Our experiments show that tooth extraction was a deliberate, time-sensitive process embedded in daily life, especially cooking practices," said Dr. Aija Macāne, the lead researcher and archaeologist from the University of Helsinki, according to Phys.org. "By better understanding the tooth detachment process, we gain a better understanding of the life cycle of tooth pendants, from hunting and processing the animals to the making, use, and finally their abandonment, loss, or burial."
The research material included lower jaws from moose, wild boar, and roe deer obtained from hunters. Using boiling and steaming, the teeth were most often detached without damage. The cooking methods not only facilitated tooth extraction but also allowed the bones to remain intact for use in creating other tools, while making the meat consumable.
Previous studies have often focused on the symbolic and decorative roles of finished pendants. However, this new investigation focuses on a critical but previously overlooked step: how the teeth were actually removed from animal skulls. The findings shed light on the complex interplay between daily survival, symbolic expression, and identity in ancient societies.
The study calls for a reevaluation of the chaîne opératoire—the sequence of actions involved in artifact production—particularly in relation to ornament-making and human-animal relationships. The researchers hope their work will inspire further studies into the early stages of ornament production and ancient technologies.
In addition to the University of Helsinki, researchers from the University of York, Leiden University, Alcalá University, and the University of Latvia participated in the research. The collaborative effort enriches our understanding of prehistoric craft and sheds light on the cultural traditions of prehistoric communities in Northeast Europe.
They also hope to encourage comparisons with butchery practices and the extraction of human and carnivore teeth. The study's findings suggest that these practices were not random but carefully thought-out technologies embedded in everyday practices.
"This was not a random process, but a carefully thought-out technology embedded in everyday practices," Macāne explained.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.