Excavations on the Indonesian island of Suisi have yielded two tiger shark teeth that were fashioned into knives approximately 7,000 years ago, making them the oldest shark tooth blades found worldwide. The blades are more advanced than any previously discovered, hinting at rituals and warfare from an era before Neolithic Farmers reached Indonesia. Both shark teeth artifacts are attributed to the Toan culture, a group that inhabited southwestern Suisi for several millennia before Austronesians spread into Indonesia.
The teeth were attached to a handle with a combination of mineral plant and animal materials, as well as plant-based threads, similar to contemporary shark tooth blades found in various Pacific cultures. Examination of the edges of each tooth revealed that they had been used to pierce, cut, and scrape flesh and bone, suggesting that they were used during rituals or battles. Ethnographic observations of recent communities and archaeological and experimental data suggest that the Toan people did not use shark tooth knives as everyday cutting implements.
Meanwhile, a research team from Istanbul Technical University, Andrews University, and other universities has conducted fieldwork in the Mount Ararat region, where Captain Ilhan Durupinar claimed to have captured images of remains associated with Noah's Ark in 1959. The team collected numerous samples of soil and rock fragments, which were sent to Istanbul Technical University Laboratories for examination.
According to the initial results, samples taken from the remains were dated back to between 5500 BC and 3000 BC, suggesting that there have been human activities in the region dating back to that time. The researchers stated that it will require long-term research to establish whether the ship is there.