A 200-year-old pair of false teeth that belonged to the Archbishop of Narbonne went on display at the Museum of London Friday. Archaeologists found the teeth in the coffin of the archbishop, Arthur Richard Dillon, while digging at the St. Pancras graveyard, where the Channel Tunnel's new rail terminus will be built.
The dentures, which are made of porcelain and contain gold springs, were still sitting in Dillon's mouth. It is thought he may have purchased them from Nicholas De Chemant, a prominent Parisian dentist.
Museum of London archaeologist Natasha Powers tells BBC news, "These unique artifacts reflect a pivotal time in dental history with the adoption of new materials and methods of manufacture.
"They also represent a period of significant social and economic change for the upper echelons of French society."
Dillon was ordained Archbishop of Narbonne in 1763. In 1791, when the French Revolution was taking place, he fled to England to escape beheading. He died in 1806.
