They Were the First Dentists in Human History
9000 years ago Neolithic farmers in South Asia knew how to fix teeth
In 2006, the journal Nature reported on an interesting discovery. Nine humans who died between 7500 to 9000 years ago had dental crowns drilled while they were alive.
This was the earliest evidence of dentistry in the world.
When people first started farming and settling down, a few farmers figured out how to fix teeth. The scientific breakthrough was remarkable for its time.
Who were they?
Scientists found the bodies of the pre-historic people with dental work at an archaeological site called Mehrgarh, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.
Mehrgarh was the dawn of civilization in South Asia. The innovative residents knew dentistry since the Neolithic era or the New Stone Age(10,000 BC to 4500 BC). During the Chalcolithic period (also known as Eneolithic or Copper Age, from 5000 BC to 2900 BC) they became expert metal workers, discovering the lost wax casting process.
The site was first settled around 7000 BC and was abandoned in 2600 BC, making it one of the world’s longest-lasting cultures. But the saga of the Mehrgarh people does not end there. During the Bronze Age, they went to adjacent regions…
