The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-09-24
ancient ECUADOR
HAD ITS DENTISTS
Skulls 1000 Years Old Found
With Gold Teeth.
WORK SHOWS HIGH SKILL.

sity Returns From Exploring Trip In
Land of the Incas With Some Re-
narkahle Examples of Pottery Work
of Former Civilization. i
Professor Marshall Howard Saville,
professor of American archaeology in
Columbia university, who has been
making extensive excavations in the
state of Esmeralda, Ecuador, who late
ly returned to the United States, tells
of discoveries that, among other things,
seem to prove that dentistry of a high
order was practiced in the Inca coun-
try more than 1000 years ago.
This is the end of my twenty-sec-
ond trip of exploration in the tropics
said Professor Saville, land this time
I did all of the work. / am glad to
say the trip has been a most success
full one in every respect I managed
to get along very well in places that
nre seldom visited by man. l found
a number Of human skulls in 4 splen-
did state of preservation The teeth
were in perfectly even rows.
Got Much New Data.
1.-THE scene of my work this time was
the state of Esmeralda, in Ecuador,
and I was able to gather much new
data bearing on the ancient civiliza-
lions Of this hemisphere. The skulls
] have referred to had their teeth dec
Drated with gold, being filed with gold
OH the inside hut showing only slight
+ ~ without The teeth seemed to have
gold band stretched across their
edges either for decoration of the
mouth or to strengthen the incisors.
some Of the Skulls had the incisors
neatly cbisolaQ out and filed with gold
Id some instances and in others with a
moteriaI that seemed to be a kind Of
dental cement
an another type the gold band was
aemented to the teeth, but most re-
markable were the chiseled holes, most
Of them little ones, all filed with gold.
The effect is striking and the work
may be 1000 years old las a matter Of
fact it may have been done before the
Incas
'"The skill with which these people
worked speaks volumes for the ciyii-
zation that centuries ago preceded US.
/ myself expect TO get one fun volume
out Of it.
II have brought back with me arti-
cles which show how wonderfully skill
ful those people were in pottery work.
! have examples Of the most distinc-
tive kind Of pottery making"
Objects of Ancient Art.
Among other things the professor
brought back with him were a minia-
ture face and bust and a perfectly
formed clay head about the size Of an
apple
One Of the heads was so finely finish
ed that it seemed to be of marble in
stead of clay. The nose was delicately
chiseled and the lips We're gracefully
arthed
'These are among the most perfect
specimens Of pottery figures / have
ever seen" Professor Saville said
"and show that these early inhabitants
of South America were the only peo
pie on that continent to bring pottery
! making to such a high state Of per
1 lection. They are, so far as I knew
the only people of that time and re
gion who worked with jewels and plat
mum. 1t proves that these peopl,
were highly cultured They were pure
~ American, and must have had high
~ skilled dentists among them"
Professor Saville said he was con
fdent that many more wonderful dis
coveries awaited the archaeologist il
4 Ecuador and the adjoining countries