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248 ) HISTORY OF DENTAL SUEGEEY

PHOENICIA, ETRURIA, ROME AND GREECE.
A number of specimens of dental art dating from about 310 B. C, have
been found in tlie tombs of ancient I'hoenicia. One of them now in tlie Louvre
at Paris, shows a portion of the upper maxilla where the four incisors and
two cuspids were united with gold thread.
"The Etrurians were learned people and skilled mechanics, and they per-
fected many dental operations, among them crown and bridge-work, specimens
of which are in the museum at Corneto, Italy, which were found in the mouth
of one of their people entombed more than 3,400 years ago. The artificial
teeth were carved from the teeth of some animal, and were fastened to gold
bands with rivets passing through each tooth, and the entire bridge held in
place with gold bands passing around natural teeth. This bridge consisted
of two upper central incisors, and one first bicuspid." (Cigrand.)
"In a tomb built about 600 B. C were found three teeth bound together
with a band of pure gold, and also gold spiral springs. It is certain that den-
tistry must have been extensively practiced in the early history of the world,
and that gold must have been largely used. They generally cremated their
dead, thus destroying what would h.ave been a superfluity of dental specimens.''
(Dr. Van Marter.
Martial, the Koman poet, who wrote about 80 A. D., says of various
prominent Komans:
'Lelius was not ashamed to purchase teeth and hair.
"The toothless mouth of Aegle was repaired with bone and ivory.
"Galla removed her teeth at niglit.
"Thou hast only three teeth and these are of boxwood varnished over."'
Cicero in speaking of a law passed to check the unnecessary expense of
funerals, says : "Add no gold to the funeral offerings, but whosoever has his
teeth bound with gold, let it be no evasion of the law to bury or burn him
without it."
A few years ago a rare and interesting discovery was made in a tomb
opened near Borne : it was the skeleton of a woman with a complete set of
false teeth—on gold—displaying admirable workmanship.
During the time of Celsus and Galen dental prosthesis was practiced among
the Romans. Some of the frescoes found in Pompeii depict dentistry in dif-
ferent phases.
The ancient Greeks were skilled in all arts and sciences, and what proof
we have of their knowledge of dental prosthesis is mostly found in their liter-