Massive tooth of marine mammal unearthed at ancient Spain site — 50 miles inland
In southwestern Spain, about 50 miles inland from the nearest coastal point, archaeologists discovered the 'remarkable' tooth of a marine mammal at the site of an ancient Copper Age settlement.
Buried at Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán, a site estimated to be about 5,300 years old, was an 'exceptional' and rare sperm whale tooth, according to a peer-reviewed May 14 study published in the journal PLOS One.
The large tooth with its 'massive' roots is 'the first of its kind ever found for Late Prehistoric Iberia,' the study said. At full size, it would have been nearly 10 inches long, according to researchers.
Researchers analyzed microscopic traces left by marine organisms — known as bioerosion — on the surface of the tooth to determine how the ancient people of Valencina acquired it.
The results suggest the whale was not hunted or harvested, but rather died and sank to the seafloor. As the whale's body decayed, a powerful weather event, like a storm, brought the tooth ashore, where it was discovered by people, according to the study.
This is supported by the fact that there is a notable absence of any other whale bones, which archaeologists would expect to find if that whale had been intentionally killed.
Researchers said the context in which the tooth was found 'is as interesting as the tooth itself.'
According to the study, the tooth was found in a non-burial pit, most likely as a 'highly-valuable and symbolically-charged' offering that had nothing to do with funerary practices.
The whale tooth was treated as a totem or sacred object, researchers said.
The archaeological site contains other examples of large animal remains such as elephant tusks, ostrich eggshells, deer antlers and auroch horns being 'treated with the utmost reverence,' according to the study.
Researchers said the archaeological site is 'remarkable' for its scale, covering 450 hectares, and for the number of features found there, including tombs and artifact-filled pits.
It was occupied for 1,000 years, between 3300 and 2150 BCE, according to the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The ancient Copper Age settlement is near Seville
The research team included Samuel Ramírez-Cruzado Aguilar-Galindo, Miriam Luciañez-Triviño, Fernando Muñiz Guinea, Luis Miguel Cáceres Puro, Antonio Toscano Grande, Marta Díaz-Guardamino, Juan Manuel Vargas Jiménez, Thomas Xavier Schuhmacher, Rafael María Martínez Sánchez, Santiago Guillamón Dávila, Joaquín Rodríguez Vidal and Leonardo García Sanjuán.
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