Over one thousand human teeth found in archaeological digs in central Melbourne

More than a thousand human teeth have been discovered by chance during archaeological digs in Melbourne’s city centre. 

The macabre discovery was made in digs preceding construction of the city’s new Metro Tunnel Project. 

Archaeologists have been sifting through rock and soil in an effort to clear the way for new Town Hall and State Library stations.

They believe the teeth could have come from several former dentistries in the area, including the dentist JJ Forster who practised at 11 Swanston Street in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Two excavations are taking place in a historically rich area of Melbourne, one at the corner of Swanston and La Trobe streets to make way for a new State Library station, and the other underneath the iconic Young & Jackson pub on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets. 

The majority of the teeth discovered came from adults and show signs of staining, presumably from tobacco. 

Many also had signs of decay and large cavities, leading experts to believe that they had been pulled out of patients mouths in a painful method. 

The teeth were found within plumbing pipes, suggesting that they had been washed down the drains by way of disposal. 

Other interesting archaeological discoveries have been made during the digs under Melbourne’s streets including earrings dating back to the late nineteenth century. 

In total the archaeologists expect to uncover up to two million artifacts, based on results from previous digs in the city. 

The discoveries date back 180 years and earlier. The historical items found are expected to go on public display in September.

An archaeologist sifting through rock to search for historical artifacts in central Melbourne