“It must have hurt”: Researchers discover 10,000-year-old chewing gum

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The DNA of a type of ‘chewing gum’ used by young people in Sweden 10,000 years ago is shedding new light on diet and oral health in the Stone Age, according to a study.

Examination of the genetic material showed that the diet of Stone Age teenagers included deer, trout and hazelnuts, says Anders Götherström, co-author of the study published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’. Traces of apples, ducks and foxes were also found.

The ‘chewing gum’ consists of birch bark pitch, a tar-like black substance, and was discovered thirty years ago next to bones at an archaeological dig north of the Swedish city of Gothenburg. The finds are mixed with saliva and show clear teeth marks.

“There were different chewing gums”

Most likely, the birch pitch was chewed to be used “as glue” for tools and weapons, Götherström said. People could also have chewed the pieces “because they liked them or because they thought they had a medicinal purpose,” he continued. “There were several pieces of chewing gum, and both men and women were chewing them. Most appear to have been chewed by teenagers.”

In 2019, a study looked at the genetic profile of the people who had the ‘chewing gum samples’ in their mouths. In the current study, Götherström and his team of paleontologists from Stockholm University were able to use DNA to determine parts of the diet and also the dental health of the chewers.

In a piece chewed by a teenager, researchers found “a number of bacteria that indicated a severe case of periodontitis,” that is, inflammation of the gums, Götherström said. The woman probably lost her teeth shortly after chewing the rubber. “It must have hurt too,” the scientist continued. (AFP)

Source: Blick