A couple months ago, in A Jaded Smile, I featured a Mayan skull that had jade-inlaid teeth. Now National Geographic has jumped the shark in terms of dental ornamentation with the example above from Chiapas, Mexico in a collection at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. One has to surmise that this specimen may have been "created" by inserting teeth from various individuals into a single skull; perhaps Willa or Reuben Clark can offer an opinion in that regard. Discussion at the link re the anthropological and medical implications of the skull. (Via Neatorama's Upcoming Queue).
I'm not sure you used the term "Jumped the shark" correctly. Do you think the Nat Geo article wernt too far?
ReplyDeleteRather than say "too far" I'll just say that it set a standard that I wouldn't expect anyone to match or exceed - virtually every visible tooth has an inlay.
ReplyDeleteThe Nat Geog report should be the peak of Mesoamerican bling (though perhaps it doesn't represent the decline exhibited by Fonzie's stunt, and the origin of the phrase.)