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| Mayan area Courtesy Simon Burchell, wikipedia |
Mayan civilization flourished in and around Yucatan peninsula in Central America for almost 3000 years. It reached glorious heights during AD 200-800. . Thereafter it declined, for reasons not clearly known. Sudden climatic changes, earthquakes or even epidemics could have triggered the decline. Investigations are still ongoing and speculations are innumerable. Archaeological excavations are being conducted in several parts of the Yucatan and have yielded rich artefacts which are being subjected to scientific scrutiny. The colourful collage that results from joining together the details derived from historic artefacts and ecofacts is simply awesome. Thus we know that Mayans lived in well organised city-states; they were a farming society cultivating maize, cacoa, cotton etc.; they wore elaborate headdresses adorned with colourful plumes; they had a pictorial writing system and a counting system based on 20; they had extensive knowledge of herbal medicines. Above all they had drawn up calendars based on the movement of celestial bodies. It is often said that the Temple of Kulkulcan at Chichen Itza was built taking into consideration the sun’s location during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
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| Artistic representation of the Mayan bejewelled teeth in National Museum of Mexico |
Among the artefacts preserved in the Mexico city National Museum, are skulls dating back to AD 700. In many of these skulls, labial teeth are adorned with inlays of gold or embedded with precious stones. These adornments could have aesthetic/magical /religious connotations. That apart, scientists are amazed at the exquisite craftsmanship. It is indeed astounding how shallow cavities are carved out on tooth surfaces neatly and skilfully using primitive tools. Obviously the craftsmen had an excellent knowledge of dental anatomy.
Even more surprising is the glue or cement that holds the gems in place. What miracle glue did the Mayans use, that even after centuries some of these gems are held firmly in place ? An earlier
analysis yielded information that the cement contained large amounts of phosphorous and calcium, with smaller amounts of iron, silicon and magnesium. Recently Hernandez-Bolio and team studied skeletal artefacts excavated from sites such as Holmul (Guatemala), Baking Pot (Belize), and the Copan Valley (Honduras). They used modern techniques such as Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). Eight dental specimens when subjected to these techniques revealed that the glue contained, pine resin and bitumen mixed with extracts from the plants of mint family.
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| Courtesy: Reference 1 |
Primary biological role of these terpenoid oleoresins, exuded by trees like pine is to defend against insects and pathogens. The Investigators allude that the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of these oleoresins might have contributed to dental healing and oral hygiene.
More about oleoresins later
TAILPIECE:
The full compositional analysis of the cement/glue is yet to be completed. Then there are other nagging questions seeking answers. What were the primitive tools used? Given that Mayans knew about intoxicating and hallucinating drugs, did they use any herbal medicines as local anaesthetic or a sedative ?
REFERENCE
1. Organic compositional analysis of ancient maya tooth sealants and fillings: Hernández-Bolio et al Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Volume 43, June 2022, 103435
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