Dossier
Chagyrskaya Cave
Coverage of Chagyrskaya Cave in the Nexus archive.
- Neanderthals drilled cavities to treat a toothache 59,000 years ago
A Neanderthal is believed to have undergone a dental procedure 59,000 years ago in southwestern Siberia, where a sharp stone tool was used to drill into an infected tooth and relieve pain. The tooth, found at Chagyrskaya Cave in Russia, is the oldest known evidence of dentistry. This discovery suggests that Neanderthals had some form of medical treatment.