Well-loved seal pendant deepens knowledge of ancient past

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A single pendant may change the way we think about ancient trading culture. Researchers used modern imaging techniques to identify the artefact, first excavated in the 19th century but more than 15,000 years old, as the perforated and polished tooth of a grey seal. It had been assumed that it was from a land-based animal such as a badger or wolf. The object was found in Torquay’s Kents Cavern, which at the time would have been at least 100km from the coast. This suggests either that the human who wore it travelled a long distance or that trading networks in the Upper Paleolithic period were more sophisticated than previously thought. Only four other seal teeth pendants from that era are known to exist. The smoothness of this one suggests it was worn a lot by its owner and repeatedly polished to keep it in a good condition.