The Significance of a 10,000-Year-Old Piece of Chewing Gum

Chewing gum. Baseball players like it as an alternative to tobacco. Teens enjoy it for its pleasant flavor and texture. And archeologists are recovering ground-breaking DNA that reveals the dietary and cultural habits of ancient civilizations. Clearly, gum has many uses!

“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking, “I need way more details about that last example!”

It’s true – right around 2019, archeologist Natalija Kashuba recovered informative DNA samples from a piece of ancient chewing gum that was previously discovered in the 1990’s. Thanks to Kashuba’s efforts, researchers now have a clearer picture of what life was like for the people of Huseby-Kiev, Sweden over 10,000 years ago. If you’re still fascinated, keep reading, because there are more fun dental facts about this find!

Brief Historical Background

To fully appreciate the significance of this particular piece of gum, it’s helpful to have a general understanding of what archeologists know about the ancient peoples of Huseby-Kiev. Based on other findings, this is what they theorize:

• They descended from two different groups of migrants: one from modern day western Europe and one from modern day Russia.
• These two groups eventually converged to form a new population now referred to as Scandinavian hunter-gatherers.
• They each also had different methods for making stone tools – which will be important later, rest assured.

The Significance of the Gum

Now, the type of gum the Huseby-Kiev peoples seemed to have chewed on probably isn’t anything like the kind you’re familiar with. It was made from birch bark pitch, and was used to adhere bones onto stone blades, creating an essential tool.

But Kashuba’s discovery and contribution to archeology has more to do with the DNA found on the gum. Basically, this is what made the find so significant:

• The gum contains the oldest human DNA sample ever recovered from Scandinavia.
• Because of this and other DNA-related factors, archeologists now have a crystal-clear link between the two ancient migratory groups.
• This helped them form a more detailed timeline of when the groups initially met and started to intermarry.
• The tooth marks on the gum came from a set of baby teeth, seeming to indicate that making stone tools wasn’t an age-restricted task.
• Two of the three genomes came from genetic females, also suggesting that both men and women participated in this job.

It’s amazing what you can find out from one piece of chewing gum and some dental markings! Pearly whites don’t just help you chew your food – they leave behind clues about the past that help researchers better understand the cultures that came before. Like fingerprints and DNA, they paint a unique picture of you and your daily habits.

About the Author

Dr. Gregory A. Craybas is a proud member of the American Dental Association and New York State Dental Association. He might not be using chewing gum to make ground-breaking archeological discoveries, but he can tell whether you’ve been brushing and flossing just by looking at your teeth! To contact his office and schedule an appointment, call 315-475-6641.