Ancient Chewing Gum Reveals a 10,500-Year-Old Mystery

Archaeologists in Estonia have uncovered an extraordinary piece of Stone Age history: a 10,500-year-old piece of birch-tar “chewing gum” bearing teeth marks and preserved saliva from a teenage girl.

DNA analysis revealed that she had brown hair and brown eyes, challenging assumptions about early northern European appearance.

The gum offers insights into ancient habits, from pain relief to tool repair, and forms part of a broader set of remarkable discoveries featured in a recent documentary exploring Estonia’s hidden past.

Other artifacts include a medieval fertility-symbol cross and the richly furnished grave of the “Kukruse lady,” each contributing to a deeper understanding of Estonia’s cultural and spiritual evolution through the centuries.