Old Remains of 'Red Princess of the Silk Road' Reveal Rare Belief That Souls Resided in Teeth The Silk Road, a huge network of trade routes connecting the East and the West, has long been a source of fascination for historians and archaeologists alike.

Archaeologists in China have discovered a unique burial of a woman whose teeth had been painted with cinnabar, with a toxic red substance that contains mercury.

This is the first identified case of cinnabar usage on human teeth, unlike other cases of the pigment's use in tattoos or facial painting.

An archaeological discovery in the Turpan Basin of northwest China has revealed the 2,200-year-old burial of a woman with teeth […]