The pieces of resin were dug up at Huseby Klev in Orust 32 years ago and were then an archaeological world sensation. Tooth impressions of Stone Age children and teenagers were found and the pieces became known as “the world’s oldest chewing gum”.
– We can see the tooth impressions from 5-6 year olds and teenagers, who chewed on these pieces and then spat them out, says Christina Toreld, archaeologist at Bohuslän’s museum.
Fox and gum infections
Some pieces have been analyzed by researchers at Stockholm University. In 2019, they succeeded in extracting human DNA from the around 10,000-year-old “chewing gums”. And now they have been examined again and the researchers have obtained even more information.
– You can see what they ate, or put in their mouths. It concerns, among other things, hazelnuts, mistletoe, mallards, deer and foxes, says Christina Toreld.
But it’s not just about what they ate 10,000 years ago. You can also see what people’s dental health looked like.
– You can see traces of bacteria such as caries and also serious gum infections, says Christina Toreld, archaeologist at Bohuslän’s museum.
Unique insight
The objects are unique because it is very rare for organic material to remain after 10,000 years.
– The picture of the people of that time becomes enormously much larger as we usually only find flint. Now you get a look into their mouths and get a whole new spectrum of what was going on. It’s fascinating, says Christina Toreld, archaeologist at Bohuslän’s museum.