59,000-Year-Old Evidence of Stone Drilling Technology Reveals the Ancient Dentistry of Neanderthals

A Neanderthal molar discovered at Russia’s Chagyrskaya Cave contains a deep, artificial hole reaching the pulp cavity, evidence of a 59,000-year-old dental drilling procedure. Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences and Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, publishing in *PLOS One*, compared the tooth to modern examples and recreated the hole using a stone drill, confirming it was made to treat tooth decay. Microscopic grooves on the molar’s side matched those produced experimentally, proving Neanderthals targeted carious lesions with precision, a practice previously unknown in their species. This discovery predates the Villabruna specimen from Italy by 45,000 years, reshaping the timeline of human dentistry. The Villabruna case, dated to around 14,000 years ago, involved a flint tool scraping infected tissue from a molar, with evidence the patient survived the procedure. The Chagyrskaya finding now establishes Neanderthals—not just modern humans—as capable of invasive dental care, suggesting advanced medical knowledge and manual dexterity. The procedure would have been agonizing without anesthesia, yet Neanderthals understood the need to remove decay permanently. Researchers highlight their ability to diagnose root causes of maladies and perform complex tasks despite discomfort. The Chagyrskaya tooth’s artificial hole and side grooves indicate deliberate, skilled intervention, far beyond earlier assumptions about Neanderthal capabilities. Another Italian site, Riparo Fredian, holds the next-oldest dental treatment at roughly 13,000 years, where bitumen, fiber, and hair were used to fill cavities. The Chagyrskaya discovery now stands as the earliest confirmed case of dental drilling in human history, attributed to Neanderthals. This reframes their technological and medical sophistication, challenging prior views of their limited cultural or medical advancements.