ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the phenomenon of Etruscan dental appliances and suggests some possible social interpretations. It considers the general state of health and nutrition in Etruria during the first millennium bce, when the various appliances were made and worn. All the Etruscan-associated appliances are constructed from gold bands, fashioned from flat strips rather than wire. The ability to purify gold, by parting it from other naturally occurring metals, originated about the time that Etruscan metallurgy was entering a literal golden age. Aspects of the recovery and working of gold in ancient Europe are described by Morteani and Northover, while prehistoric metallurgy of gold and silver has been reviewed by Raub. Greif offered an interpretation of dentistry as practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean based on texts from the Bible and Talmud. The Classical literature makes it clear that indiscriminate mingling of the sexes was strictly avoided throughout much of the ancient Mediterranean region.
