Ancient Dust Busters

Did you know your teeth could be telling future scientists and archaeologists details about the quality of the air you were breathing, the health of your environment and how well you look after your teeth today?

Well a group of scientists and archaeologists is looking at just that! Welcome to Ancient Dust Busters. This team is using experimental archaeology and looking at the skeletons of people from the past, with a focus on their teeth, to see what we can learn about how they lived, the environments they lived in and what they ate. 

“ Did you know that, using science, we can study something called dental calculus? Dental calculus is the plaque left on your teeth which hardens if you don’t brush it off. In the past, people weren’t as good at looking after their teeth as they are today and so, we find a lot of dental calculus on skeletons hundreds, thousands – and even millions! – of years old.*”

Here at DIG we have an exhibition showing some of the findings from this research so far and giving you the chance to find out more and learn about our ancestors. 

Pre-booking is recommended and can be done online or by calling 01904 615505. 

*source: https://ancientdustbusters.net/

Funded by Wellcome Trust (grant number 209869/Z/17/A)