Ancient Human Tooth Jewelry Identified After Decades on Museum Shelf

A human canine tooth, drilled and likely worn as a pendant, was found at the Neolithic Vinča site of Jablanica in Serbia, dating back over 6,500 years. Initially mislabeled as an animal tooth bead, it sat in a museum for nearly two decades before archaeologists recognized its true nature. This is the first reliably documented human tooth ornament from the Neolithic central Balkans.