Archaeologists Uncover 1,600-Year-Old Tumor with Teeth Attached

Archaeologists have uncovered the 1,600-year-old body of a woman near Lleida, in the Catalonia region in Spain. They were astounded to find a tumor inside it.

The woman had died in her 30s, and the condition that brought on her tumor is called ovarian teratoma. Even odder is the fact that the 1.7-inch (44-mm) growth still contains teeth and bone fragments.

"This is an extraordinary case, not only for its antiquity, but also its identification in the archaeological record," states the research team, led by Núria Armentano.

According to the Huffington Post, the tumor was benign, so researchers cannot tell for sure that it caused her death.

"We suppose that, at least during a long part of her life, she was completely unaware of this tumor,” Armentano says.