Body Piercing Jewelry Since Ancient Times

Body piercing has been practiced by many peoples all over the world. This habit dates all the way from ancient times. The oldest mummified body discovered so far with an earring is that of Ötzi the Iceman (from about 3300 BC), which was found in an Austrian glacier. The earring measured 7-11mm in diameter.

Body Piercing Jewelry Since Ancient Times

• Nose piercing has been common in India since the 16th century.
• Tongue piercing was popular with the elite of Aztec and Maya civilization, though it was carried out as part of a blood ritual and such piercings were not intended to be permanent.
• Ancient Mesoamericans wore body jewelry in their ears, noses, and lower lips, and such decorations continue to be popular amongst indigenous peoples in these regions.

Body Piercing Jewelry Since Ancient Times

In the United States, it became quite poplar only after the 60′s, when it was adopted by women and men in the hippie and gay communities, and later the punk subculture, they used most body jewelry.

By the 1980s, male ear piercing had become somewhat common in the United States, although men usually only pierced one of their ears. Today, single and multiple piercing of either or both ears is extremely common among Western women, and fairly common among men.