What if a piece of chewing gum could tell you what someone ate nearly 10,000 years ago? It sounds like the setup for an archaeological mystery, but researchers have discovered that ancient pieces of chewed birch bark pitch can preserve remarkable clues about the people who used them.
At the Huseby Klev archaeological site on the west coast of Sweden, researchers studied pieces of chewed pitch dating back roughly 9,700 years. The material contained DNA from humans, plants, animals, and oral bacteria, giving scientists an unusual glimpse into the lives—and dental health—of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.
What Was on the Stone Age Menu?
The ancient “gum” revealed traces of several foods that had recently been in the mouths of the people who chewed the pitch. Researchers identified DNA associated with red deer, trout, and hazelnuts, along with traces from other plants and animals.
That paints a fascinating picture of life in Mesolithic Scandinavia. These communities hunted, fished, and gathered food from their surroundings, rather than relying on the grocery-store staples we know today.
Of course, the pitch cannot tell us everything these people ate. The researchers emphasize that the DNA represents food that was orally processed around the time the pitch was chewed, rather than providing a complete record of the group’s entire diet.
Ancient Gum, Ancient Dental Problems
The discoveries become even more interesting when researchers look at the oral bacteria preserved in the pitch. The samples contained microbes associated with periodontal disease, and one individual appears to have had particularly poor oral health.
Researchers found evidence consistent with periodontitis, a serious form of gum disease that can damage the tissues and bone supporting the teeth. For someone who regularly ate chewy foods such as deer meat, having painful or damaged gums could have made eating considerably more difficult.
The findings also offer a reminder that problems with our teeth and gums are certainly not a modern invention. People thousands of years ago dealt with oral health challenges, even though their diets, lifestyles, and dental care looked very different from ours.
Why Did They Chew Pitch?
Calling the material “ancient chewing gum” makes for a great headline, but it was not necessarily recreational gum in the modern sense. The pitch was made from birch bark and was likely used as an adhesive for stone tools and other technology. Chewing could make the material more workable.
Some pieces bear clear tooth impressions, which is how researchers know people were working the material in their mouths. The chewing also happened to leave behind a biological time capsule containing DNA from the people, foods, and microbes involved.
What Can We Learn From Ancient Smiles?
Modern dentistry has dramatically changed how we prevent and treat oral health problems, but one thing remains the same: healthy teeth and gums matter. Brushing twice a day, cleaning between your teeth, eating a balanced diet, and keeping up with regular dental visits can all help protect your smile.
Your mouth may not be preserving a 10,000-year-old archaeological record, but it can still give you plenty of clues about your health today.
Taking care of your smile is one tradition worth keeping around for another 10,000 years.
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