5,000-Year-Old Tooth Necklace, Stone Axe, and Two Human Skulls Found in a Nearly Overlooked Grave
Learn how a necklace of 42 teeth and a stone axe could help researchers piece together the life of a man buried in Poland.
Archaeologists uncovered a 5,000-year-old grave in southwestern Poland, containing a necklace of 42 teeth, a stone axe, and human skull fragments. Discovered near Żórawina, the burial site was previously known for graves from around 1,600 years ago. The necklace and stone axe suggest the man was buried around 2900 B.C.E., thousands of years before the cemetery's other known graves.
The necklace, with its drilled tooth holes, may have been a symbol of the man's importance within his community. The stone axe, made of serpentinite, shows signs of use, possibly for hunting or fighting. The skull fragments of two other adults may have been buried with the man as offerings, possibly decapitated. Further tests, including radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, and X-ray imaging, will help researchers determine the man's origins, lifestyle, and potential relationships with the other individuals buried with him.
The findings may provide insights into the Corded Ware culture, a prehistoric culture in northern and central Europe.
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