ELS215’s teeth open a window on a life that included both medical care and manual work.  

 

Our team at University College Dublin recovered a large quantity of pollen from ELS215’s calculus. The pollen is from a plant of the carrot family (Apiaceae), which comprises many herbs and edible roots that were used for food, seasoning and medicinal remedies. We are currently investigating the historical uses of this family of plants to narrow down the identification and to investigate if the micro debris in her mouth was from the consumption of medicine, perhaps in the form of tea.

 

The team also found fibres and red dye that suggests that ELS215 engaged in clothmaking. We are currently investigating the possibility that this is madder (Rubia tinctorum L.), the root of which was used to dye textiles and fibres in shades of orange and red. 

 

The pattern of wear on ELS215’s upper central incisors and several of her molars could suggest that she used her mouth as a “third hand” when doing cloth work. 

 

We will also use proteomics, a form of biomolecular archaeology and allows us to study the invisible, molecular traces of proteins and metabolites preserved in ELS215's dental calculus, to generate a rich record of her dietary habits, health conditions, and overall adaptation to the environment through the composition of the oral microbiome.

 

Stable isotope analysis on the enamel of one of ELS215's molars will provide direct evidence of her lifetime dietary habits and long-term nutritional status.