Who invented ear piercing

Sailors would have their ears pierced to improve their eyesight and if sailor's bodies would wash up against some shore, the ear jewellery would pay for a Christian burial. In many societies, ear piercing is done as a ritual indicating puberty, of which each of the parents would pierce an ear, symbolising the child's dependence upon them. The Ancient Egyptians are of the oldest bodies found with stretched ear lobes.

They also loved to adorn themselves elaborately and even restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. An interesting fact is that only the pharaoh was allowed to have his navel pierced and anyone else who did so would be executed. Egyptians wore earrings to display their wealth and portray their beauty. The Ancient Romans were very practical and piercings for them always served a purpose. They would pierce their nipples to signify strength and virility. It was in fact a badge of honour that demonstrated their dedication to the Roman Empire.

It symbolised unity and bond amongst the Roman army. Julius Caesar himself pierced his nipples to show his strength and signify his unity with his men. At around the same time, the Aztecs, Mayans and various American Indians pierced their tongues as part of their religious rituals. They believed it brought them closer to their Gods as a type of ritual blood-letting. These were warrior tribes, thus practised septum piercing to appear fiercer to their enemies.

Similarly, some tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands would pierce their tongue. Sailors also usually wore an earring on one ear to signify that they have sailed far and wide. They also wore them in case they died at sea, so whoever found them would sell the earring and give them a decent burial with the proceeds. However, towards the 18th century, clip-on earrings started replacing earrings that required piercing.

Piercings were left to the lowly of birth, till the 50s, after the war. It was as if people, women especially, wanted to make up for looking disheveled during the war. Ear piercings became fashionable once again. Then, there were no piercing shops like can be found everywhere today. What young women did was to get their lobes numb using ice block cubes, before piercing. As time went on, it became necessary to get ear piercings in hospitals to avoid infection. However, in ancient Rome, earrings were worn only by slaves, and in ancient Greece by prostitutes.

Those in Rome and Greece that were wealthy would also wear earrings set with pearls and other expensive stones to display their social status. The middle ages in Europe saw male earrings alternate between being popular and out of fashion. However, in the 13 th Century, the Catholic Church banned the piercing of ears in accordance with the dogma; stating that people cannot alter their bodies created in the image of God. It was then that earrings became popular amongst thieves, pirates and the lower class.

It was not long after the renaissance that people deterred from the rules of the Church. Pierced ears would be present on young boys of single mothers whose husband has been killed, and on the right ear of the only boy in the family. A man who wore earrings on both ears was the last of his family line and would therefore not be allowed to participate in times of war, for fear that his family name would disappear forever.

Over time, earrings have become less popular amongst men and more so amongst women. Many women choose to wear different types of earrings with the purpose of complementing their face and accentuating outfit choices. For example, long earrings tend to elongate the face and neck whereas earrings that feature geometric shapes tend to sharpen the features.