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The Bling of the Ancients

Posted by samzenpus on from the the-oldest-school dept.

If you think hip-hop stars like Flavor Flav started the craze of jewel-studded teeth, you'd be wrong. A new study shows that Native Americans were using sophisticated dentistry techniques to add bling to their smiles 2,500 years ago. These ancient people used notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems to beautify their teeth. According to the study, the dentistry was for purely cosmetic purposes. "They were not marks of social class," says José Concepción Jiménez, an anthropologist at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.

3 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Cosmetics by CarpetShark · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the dentistry was for purely cosmetic purposes. "They were not marks of social class,"

    Hmm. Methinks that all cosmetics are about improving your social class, and the quality of those cosmetics indicates which social class you can get away with claiming to be part of.

  2. The more things change... by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "They were not marks of social class"

    Well, that's not surprising. They aren't now, either.

  3. Re:"They were not marks of social class" by icebike · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Social Class means ALL Classes, not just those you deem to be of significance in your little power centric view of the world.

    Were the prostitutes and lap dancers all buried in specific manner? Were Entertainers and Witch Doctors entombed according to a formula? What about Soldiers, Thieves, and the petty district enforcers? How about the drug trading class?

    Would you be so naive and parochial to suggest that having a body covered with prison tats is not an indicator of social class today?

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    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.