Researchers say the strange jewelry consists of 42 teeth that may have belonged to wolves, dogs, and bears. Two of the identified teeth even resemble human canine teeth.
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The find was discovered while excavating a burial mound near the village of Żurawina.
Scientists from Wrocław Medical University said they were already preparing to finish work and leave the site when they noticed an unusual object.
“We were practically already packing up when we noticed the contours of a grave. Inside it were teeth arranged in the form of a necklace,” said Dr. Paweł Dąbrowski, a researcher working at the site.
“From the very first glance, it was clear that this could not have been a coincidence,” he said. According to the researcher, a more detailed examination showed that each tooth’s root had a drilled hole.
“Although the strip or string on which they were strung did not survive, we have no doubt that this was a piece of jewelry made by human hands,” said P. Dąbrowski.
Unclear origin
P. Dąbrowski said the teeth may have belonged to wolves, dogs, and bears. Two of them even resemble human canine teeth.
“Bear canines are very similar to human front teeth. However, only a detailed dental analysis will definitively determine to whom the necklace teeth belonged,” the Polish edition of National Geographic quotes him.
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Wrocław Medical University, whose scientists are involved in the excavations, announced on social media on Wednesday that this find was discovered in the summer in a burial mound during excavations near Żurawina.
In the burial mound, archaeologists also found almost a complete male skeleton, fragments of two skulls, bone and amber beads, a flint blade, and a stone battle axe.
Based on the shape of the battle axe, researchers determined that the burial could have been arranged around 2900 BC. This is the oldest find discovered so far in this area.
It was previously thought that the remaining part of this burial site dated back to about 1,600 years ago – around 350–430 AD. This means that the newly discovered burial mound is several thousand years older than other burials found in this area.
Now researchers believe that the burial mound belonged to a representative of the Corded Ware culture. This ancient European culture existed approximately 2900–2300 BC and was known for its distinctive cord-like patterned pottery and livestock-based lifestyle.
Studies on the origin of the artifacts found at the site are still ongoing. Scientists hope their results will help answer questions about who was buried in this burial mound and how the community lived more than 5,000 years ago in the territory of present-day Lower Silesia.
