All teeth dyed black: The eerie discovery of a 2,000-year-old skeleton explained

Archaeologists working in northern Vietnam have uncovered striking evidence of a 2,000-year-old cosmetic practice that once defined beauty and identity across the region. At an Iron Age site in the Red River Delta, researchers found a skeleton whose teeth had been deliberately dyed black.

The discovery sheds new light on the deep historical roots of tooth blackening in Vietnam, a tradition that survived into the early 20th century before fading under Western influence.

Published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the study provides the earliest confirmed chemical evidence linking ancient remains to documented tooth-blackening customs, as per a report by Newsweek.


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What Did Archaeologists Discover at Dong Xa?

The remains were excavated from Dong Xa, an Iron Age settlement in northern Vietnam’s Red River Delta. While darkened teeth have been observed in ancient burials before, it has often been unclear whether the staining was intentional or caused by habits like betel nut chewing.

This time, researchers took a closer scientific look. Using non-destructive analytical tools, the team examined three tooth samples. X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy revealed unusually high levels of iron and sulphur embedded in the enamel, as per a report by Newsweek.

Lead author Yue Zhang of the Australian National University explained the significance of the findings. “We believe the combined presence of Fe and S signals is a strong indicator of the involvement of iron salts,” Zhang told Live Science.

The chemical pattern closely matches iron-based mixtures historically used in Vietnamese tooth-blackening practices.

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How did ancient Vietnamese people blacken their teeth?

For generations, glossy black teeth were seen as a powerful symbol of beauty, adulthood and cultural belonging in many Vietnamese communities. The custom remained widespread until the 1900s, when Western aesthetic ideals began to influence local traditions.

Ethnographic records describe a careful, multi-step process. The enamel was first cleaned and slightly roughened. A red undercoat was applied, followed by repeated layers of an iron-and-tannin mixture. Over time, exposure to air caused the compound to oxidise, forming a deep, permanent black coating that bonded tightly to the teeth, as per a report by Newsweek.

Modern practitioners have used iron-based materials combined with tannin-rich sources such as certain woods, pomegranate rind or betel-related plants. Once the process was complete, the color could last a lifetime.

To confirm their theory, researchers recreated a traditional iron-tannate dye and applied it to modern animal teeth. The resulting enamel showed the same chemical alterations seen in the ancient Dong Xa samples.


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Why is this discovery important for cultural history?

The emergence of tooth blackening in the archaeological record aligns with a transformative period in northern Vietnam between 500 B.C. and A.D. 50. During this time, communities gained wider access to iron tools, trade networks expanded, and cultural contact with southern China increased. Early historical texts from China also describe populations with blackened teeth.

Researchers suggest that tooth blackening may have replaced an even older custom known as tooth ablation — the ritual removal of front teeth. Unlike ablation, blackening created a visible marker of adulthood or group identity without permanently removing teeth, as per a report by Newsweek.

Zhang emphasized the broader significance of the findings. “To our knowledge, this is the first time archaeologically discovered blackened teeth have been directly linked to modern intentional tooth-blackening,” she said.

The Dong Xa evidence now provides the clearest connection yet between ancient skeletal remains and living cultural traditions recorded into the 19th and 20th centuries, as per a report by Newsweek.

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Long before photography or written documentation, Iron Age communities in Vietnam were intentionally reshaping their appearance through a refined cosmetic technique — one rooted in chemistry, patience and cultural meaning.


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FAQs

What makes this skeleton discovery significant?
It provides the earliest confirmed chemical proof that tooth blackening in Vietnam was intentional and dates back 2,000 years.

How did researchers confirm the teeth were deliberately dyed?
They detected elevated iron and sulphur levels in the enamel, consistent with traditional iron-tannin dye mixtures used in historical tooth-blackening practices.