A dental prosthesis, from a necropolis in Rome dating to
the 1st-2nd century AD, provides the first evidence of skilled
dentistry during the Imperial Age.
Although many Roman literary sources document the
development of dentistry during the Imperial Age, A. Cornelium
Celsum (25 BC-50 AD) first provided a systematic
description of dental disease and their treatment in De Medicina. In this book, Celsum also indicates how to bind
and sustain unstable teeth by using silk or gold wires: “If for some blows or for other reasons some teeth are unsteady, they need to be bound with a gold wire to the solid teeth.” (De Medicina 7, XII)1
During archaeological excavations carried out in 2000 by
the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma in the necropolis
of Viale della Serenissima, the partially cremated remains of
an adult woman, still wearing a dental prosthesis, were
found (1st-2nd century AD).
Although fire caused the loss of or major damages to the
crown of the teeth, the jaw was largely preserved from the
third left molar to the second right premolar. Inspection of
the material showed that mandibular anterior teeth were
bound with a gold wire, forming a true dental prosthesis to
replace the central incisors lost intra vitam (Figure). The
gold wire supports an “artificial” tooth replacing the right
central incisor. The left central incisor is not preserved, but
is certainly “artificial,” as suggested by the space apparent
in the gold wire. The “artificial” right central incisor is
perforated at the neck, in mesio-distal direction, and the root
apex is filed to fit the tooth on the gum. Two gold wires pass
trough the hole, firmly binding around canine and lateral
incisor on the right side, and around lateral incisor on the
left side. The “artificial” tooth is definitely human and the
root canal is visible from X-rays as well as by stereomicroscope
(25_), due to the deep lingual wear (Figure, c).
The close resemblance in form, dimension, and wear to the
left lateral incisor suggests that the “artificial” tooth belonged
to the same woman and that it was re-used in the
prosthesis after its loss. The deep wear on the lingual surface
of this “artificial” incisor, similar to that observed on
the other teeth, was certainly present before the loss. The
reduction in tooth diameter, produced by the wear, made it
more fragile and the making of the prosthesis more difficult.
Severe buccal wear that removed enamel, cementum,
and part of dentine affects many in situ teeth. The wear
extends from the crown to the root and makes the tooth
surface concave and smooth. Very similar abrasions, found
in King Christian III of Denmark (1503-1559)2 and Isabella
d’Aragona, Duchess of Milano (1470-1524),3 have been
attributed to rubbing of dental surfaces with abrasive powder
during hygienic activity.
It seems very likely that, in the case under study, the
dental rubbing was performed for hygienic or palliative
reasons, as suggested by the marked alveolar bone resorption
indicative of severe periodontal disease. This disease
was probably responsible for the central incisor’s loss.
Although Etruscan gold prostheses (VI-IV centuries BC)
are relatively numerous,4 none dating to the Roman Age has
yet been published. Thus, the finding presented here provides
the first archeological evidence of dentistry in that
time period and documents a diffuse practice mentioned in
different literary sources, not necessarily medical. For example,
the famous 1st century satirist Martial frequently
likes to joke in his writings on dental appliances: “Lucania has white teeth, Thais brown. How comes it? One has false teeth, one her own. And you Galla, lay aside your teeth at night just as you do your silken dress.”4
Simona Minozzi, PhD
Gino Fornaciari, MD
Department of Oncology
Division of Palaeopathology
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Stefano Musco, Dr
Paola Catalano, Dr
Archaeological Superintendence of Rome, Rome, Italy
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A CASE OF HEALING SPINAL INFECTION FROM CLASSICAL ROME