Gum chewing goes back 5,000 years

I always felt that one of my vices – gum chewing- was inherited.  My father and mother enjoyed the habit. Interestingly my husband hates it and we now have one son who is an avid chewer whilst the other shies away.  At least I have an ally and we share our illicit packets of gum in quiet moments!

I picked up this article from a recent edition of The Guardian, UK about how ancient gum chewing really is.  A British archaeologist in Finland, Europe discovered a piece of 5,000 year old Neanderthal gum, complete with teeth marks.  The gum was made from birch bark tar probably used as an antiseptic to relieve gum problems.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/20/archaeology?gusrc=rss&feed=science