A team of Turkish archaeologists led by Dr. Ergül Kodaş from Mardin Artuklu University has made an extraordinary discovery. In the burial site of the Neolithic settlement of Boncuklu Tarla, researchers uncovered a collection of peculiar objects shaped like studs. Scientists have determined that these resemble the earliest forms of piercing jewelry. These artifacts are akin to the “studs” used for body perforation by modern individuals. The ancient items particularly resemble labrets—rods with fixed ends and various shaped decorations.
What the Researchers Revealed
Boncuklu Tarla is renowned for its exceptional collection of diverse ornaments. Since the initial excavations began in 2012, over 100,000 decorative artifacts have been discovered here. Now, early evidence of piercing use has also been found, as reported by Science Alert.
These items were located in the graves of seven adult men and nine adult women. The studs were found in areas of the skull where the ears and lips would have been, or very close to these locations. The ancient labrets had a diameter of at least 7 millimeters, indicating that such jewelry required significant and likely irreversible skin perforations.
On the front part of the jaw of some of the buried individuals, researchers noted signs of wear. This typically occurs when a piercing stud is placed beneath the lower lip.
Not a Child’s Fancy, but a Symbol of Adulthood
Dr. Kodaş and his colleagues have currently described 85 discovered pieces of piercing jewelry. These were made from limestone, flint, copper, and volcanic glass (obsidian). Based on the sediment layer from which they were excavated and the preliminary carbon dating of these deposits, five of the 85 objects date back to 10,000-8,000 B.C.
The researchers observed that none of the buried children had such ornaments. (In contrast, representatives of other ancient cultures often buried children with pendants and necklaces.) Piercing among the Neolithic people of Boncuklu Tarla likely signified the transition to adulthood, noted co-researcher Emma Baysal from Ankara University. It is possible that piercing symbolized a social status associated with maturity or a specific role within society, the researcher suggested.
“These artifacts provide a unique window into the use of perforated ornaments by the inhabitants of early settled communities,” the scientists wrote in their report published in the journal Antiquity.
Previously, the oldest compelling evidence of piercing was considered to be those found in Southwest Asia around 6000 B.C. Some other earlier studies claimed that the practice of wearing piercings originated around 6400 B.C. in present-day Iran and spread through Mesopotamia. Later, this custom traveled through ancient communities in Africa, Central, and South America.