Fossilized Squalicorax tooth Nr. #07815 taken from the Jerusalem site. Credit: Omri LernauScientists discovered an unidentified cache of fossilized shark tooth teeth in an area that should not have been there in a 2900-year-old site in Jerusalem's City of David. It is located at least 80 kilometers from the location where fossils of this nature would be expected. Although there isn't any conclusive evidence that the cache was assembled or why, it could be that the 80-million-year-old teeth may have been part of a larger collection dating back to just after King Solomon's death. Similar unexplained discoveries have been made in other parts ancient Judea by the same team.Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Tuetken, University of Mainz Institute of Geosciences, presented the results at the Goldschmidt Conference.These fossils have been moved from their original location. They are likely valuable and we don't know why.The material used to fill a basement was used to cover the teeth. The house was located in Jerusalem's City of David. It is now in Silwan, a largely Palestinian village. They were found with other fill material, such as pottery and fish bones that had been thrown away 2900 years ago as food waste. Surprisingly, the teeth were found with bullaeitems that seal confidential letters and packages. This suggests that they may have been connected to an administrative or governing class. It is normal for archaeological material to be dated according the circumstances in which it is found. So, it was initially assumed that the teeth were contemporaneous with the rest. Dr. Tuetken stated:We initially assumed that the shark teeth were remnants of food that was dumped almost 3000 years ago. However, when we submitted our paper for publication, one reviewer pointed out that one of the teeth could have only come from a Late Cretaceous shark, which had been extinct for at most 66 million years. We went back to the samples and measured organic matter, elemental composition, crystallinity, and other characteristics. This confirmed that all shark teeth are fossils. The strontium isotope content of the teeth indicates that they are approximately 80 million years old. It was confirmed that all 29 shark tooth found in the City of David are Late Cretaceous fossils, contemporaneous with dinosaurs. They were likely transported from faraway, perhaps from the Negev (at least 80km away), where similar fossils were found.Artist's impression of the Squalicorax shark. Credit: Dimitri BogdanovThe team has also found shark teeth fossils at the Maresha, Miqne sites since the initial finds. They are also possible to have been moved from their original locations.Dr. Tuetken stated:"Our working hypothesis suggests that the teeth were collected by collectors. However, we don't know for certain. They don't have any wear marks that might indicate they were tools. There are also no drill holes that could suggest they might have been jewelry. There is an international market for shark's tooth jewelry. This was a time of wealth in the Judean Court. It's easy to add 2 and 2 together to create 5. "We won't be able to know for sure."The shark teeth that have been identified are from several species, including the extinct Late Cretaceous group Squalicorax. Squalicorax, which was between 2 and 5 m long, lived during the Late Cretaceous period, which was the same time as the dinosaurs. This serves as a reference point for dating fossils.Brooke Crowley (University of Cincinnati), commented:Dr. Tuetken's research with colleagues is a great example of why it is important to have as few assumptions as possible when approaching a research question. Sometimes, we may need to revisit our initial assumptions. This research also shows how useful it is to use multiple tools to answer a question. The authors used strontium and other oxygen isotopes as well as Xray diffraction, trace element analysis, and X-ray photo diffraction to determine the most likely origin and age of the fossil teeth. Although it was quite a lot of work, these efforts revealed an even more fascinating story about the people who once lived in this area. This work has been very exciting for me. I hope we can one day solve the mystery of how these fossil teeth were found in cultural deposits.This work was not performed by Dr. Crowley. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution 8:570032 published the work related to the Jerusalem findings. This paper was edited by Dr. Crowley for the journal.Explore more The origins of the Tiger shark are revealed in the teethFurther information: Thomas Ttken et. al., Strontium Isotope Analyses Reveal Late Cretaceous shark teeth in Iron Age Strata, Southern Levant, Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution (2021). Information from Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Thomas Ttken et., Strontium and Oxygen Isotope Analizes Reveal Late Cretaceous shark Teeth in Iron Age Strata in Southern Levant. (2021). DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.570032Goldschmidt Conference
