A groundbreaking new study has redefined our understanding of how Stone Age communities in northeastern Europe processed animal teeth for use as personal ornaments. Centered on the extensive archaeological findings from the Zvejnieki cemetery in northern Latvia, dated between 7500 and 2500 calibrated BC, this research delves into a crucial yet overlooked phase of artifact manufacture: the precise methods by which animal teeth were extracted from skulls prior to their transformation into pendants. While previous scholarship primarily emphasized the symbolic and ornamental value of these teeth, this investigation introduces a fresh perspective by highlighting the intricate technical steps involved in their retrieval.
The Zvejnieki site is renowned for its rich assemblage of over 2,000 animal teeth discovered within burial contexts, underscoring the cultural significance of these items. However, what remained largely unexplored until now was the manner in which prehistoric peoples obtained these teeth. To address this, the research team employed an experimental archaeological framework, meticulously testing seven multifaceted extraction techniques. These methods encompassed various approaches including cutting with stone tools, mechanical percussion, controlled air drying, soaking in water, application of direct heat sources, and diverse forms of cooking and steaming in pits.
Among these treatments, the experiments revealed that wet cooking and pit steaming were markedly superior in both efficiency and outcome. Such thermal processing enabled a higher extraction yield of teeth without compromising their structural integrity. Crucially, these methods not only facilitated the removal of teeth but also rendered the associated meat edible and left the bones intact enough to be repurposed as implements or tools. This dual-purpose processing underscores a sophisticated integration of subsistence activities with symbolic craftsmanship within everyday life.
Lead researcher Dr. Aija Macāne of the University of Helsinki emphasized the significance of these findings in reshaping long-held assumptions. She explained that tooth removal processes were deliberate and time-sensitive, intrinsically tied to routine culinary practices rather than opportunistic scavenging. This challenges the simplistic notion that ornament teeth were easily sourced as available leftovers, instead positioning tooth extraction as a culturally embedded technological procedure. The staged nature of these activities indicates a complex intertwining of food processing and the preparatory phases of personal adornment production.
The implications of this study extend beyond technical nuances, touching upon broader anthropological themes. The researchers argue that the extraction of animal teeth was not an isolated task but part of a wider chaîne opératoire — a sequential framework encompassing artifact production from raw material procurement to final deposition. This holistic perspective reveals how the crafting of tooth pendants was firmly rooted in daily survival activities, ritualistic expressions, and social identity formation. Thus, the physical act of tooth extraction becomes a meaningful cultural practice linking human and animal worlds.
By focusing experiments on practical replication of Stone Age techniques, the study has illuminated previously invisible stages of prehistoric technology. The controlled application of heat and moisture demonstrated how organic attachment tissues loosened without damaging the teeth, providing a replicable model for understanding artifact manufacture. These findings open avenues for comparative analyses with other types of bead production and butchery processes across prehistoric contexts, offering a template for reconstructing ancient operational sequences.
Furthermore, this research highlights the dynamic interplay between functional needs and symbolic aspirations in prehistoric societies. The tooth pendants symbolize more than mere decoration; they embody aspects of identity, status, and possibly spiritual beliefs. Acknowledging the labor invested in tooth extraction and preparation connects the tangible artifacts to intangible cultural values. Such insights deepen our appreciation of how prehistoric peoples negotiated their relationships with animals, incorporating them into social ritual as well as subsistence economies.
The study was conducted within the broader framework of the ‘Animals Make Identities’ (AMI) project, which investigates the social bioarchaeology of cemeteries in the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic periods of Northeast Europe. Under the leadership of Professor Kristiina Mannermaa, this collaborative effort draws upon interdisciplinary expertise from archaeologists, anthropologists, and experimental researchers. Contributors include scholars from the universities of Helsinki, York, Leiden, Alcala, and Latvian institutions, reflecting an international commitment to uncovering complex prehistoric lifeways.
Published open access in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the article titled “First stage in technological production of Stone Age animal teeth pendants: evidence from Zvejnieki (Latvia) and wider social implications” offers a detailed account of both the experimental methodology and its interpretative frameworks. The documentation of extraction techniques as integral to ornament production prompts a reevaluation of processing sequences in prehistoric craft, encouraging future studies to explore the parallels in human and carnivore dental modifications.
Dr. Macāne underscored that comprehending the extraction process enriches our understanding of the life histories of tooth pendants, encompassing the ethical dimensions of animal capture, meticulous processing, creative crafting, habitual use, and eventual depositional practices. These narratives connect archaeological objects to lived experiences, melding materiality with memory. This perspective enhances the interpretive potential of artifacts, shifting them from static remnants to active agents in social histories.
In essence, this pioneering research bridges technological experimentation with cultural interpretation, revealing the nuanced entanglement of daily survival, ornamentation, and ritual in ancient European societies. It challenges reductionist views by demonstrating that the production of seemingly simple artifacts required intricate knowledge systems and embodied socio-cultural meanings. By illuminating the foundational steps in ornament crafting, this work contributes significantly to the wider discourse on prehistoric materiality and identity.
Looking ahead, the investigators hope that their experimental approaches will inspire further research into early production stages of diverse adornments and related subsistence activities. Comparative inquiries into butchery, tooth modification in carnivores, and human remains promise to deepen our grasp of prehistoric economies and symbolic systems. Such integrative studies are crucial for reconstructing the multilayered realities of ancient lifeways, in which technology, culture, and identity were inseparably intertwined.
This study not only enriches archaeological knowledge but also highlights the critical role of experimental archaeology in uncovering the hidden dimensions of ancient craftsmanship. It underscores how meticulous methodological designs can produce substantive insights into prehistoric practices, offering new pathways for understanding the past in all its complexity.
Subject of Research: Animals
Article Title: First stage in technological production of Stone Age animal teeth pendants: evidence from Zvejnieki (Latvia) and wider social implications
News Publication Date: 20-Jun-2025
Web References:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02260-0
References:
Macāne, A., Mannermaa, K., Nordqvist, K., Needham, A., Little, A., Pomstra, D., Cifuentes Alcobendas, G., Reblis, J., Zagorska, I. (2025). First stage in technological production of Stone Age animal teeth pendants: evidence from Zvejnieki (Latvia) and wider social implications. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
Image Credits: Illustration: Tom Björklund.
Keywords: Stone Age, animal teeth pendants, Zvejnieki cemetery, experimental archaeology, ornament production, Mesolithic, Neolithic, chaîne opératoire, prehistoric technology, personal adornment, cultural practices, bioarchaeology
