Recent excavations in Turkey have unveiled the oldest evidence of body puncture, or drilling, in human skeletons dating back roughly 11,000 years. The discovery was reported by Arkeonews and adds a striking dimension to our understanding of early symbolic practices.
Researchers from Ankara University identified more than 100 ornaments located near the ears and jaws of the individuals buried long ago. These pieces were crafted from an array of materials, including limestone, obsidian, chlorite, copper, and river pebbles. The diversity of materials and forms suggests a purposeful design to pierce the ears and lower lip, indicating a ritualized practice rather than mere ornamentation. Both men and women show evidence of piercing, but only among adults, implying that the body modifications could mark a coming-of-age transition within these ancient communities. The presence of piercing appears intertwined with ceremonial meaning, signaling social status, identity, or belonging just as much as personal aesthetics. (Source: Arkeonews)
The findings challenge prevailing timelines that place the origin of drilling techniques in the mid-7th millennium BC, prompting a reevaluation of when and how body modification traditions emerged in Western Asia. The material culture surrounding these pierced sites points to a sophisticated symbolic system that used the body as a canvas for expressions of belief, kinship, and community belonging. This asistencia to ritual life illustrates that complex decorations and body art were already part of settled villages as early as the early Neolithic period, more than ten millennia ago. The beads, bracelets, and pendants discovered alongside the piercings reveal intricate decorative conventions, suggesting a shared language of symbols carried through generations. The researchers note that the practices likely reflect deep social meanings rather than simple adornment, underscoring a long-standing human tendency to encode meaning through the body. (Source: Arkeonews; Ankara University findings)
Scholars also highlight how these discoveries align with other early indicators of symbolic behavior in the region. The newly found evidence complements previous work on personal adornment and ritual practices, offering a broader view of how communities in Western Asia formed identities during the transition to settled life. It is evident that the human body served as a powerful medium for communication—an evolving script that captured beliefs, rites, and social structures in material form. This pattern mirrors, in a broader sense, the enduring human impulse to mark important moments through visible, tangible acts. (Source: Arkeonews)
Past investigations into Ötzi the Iceman have laid the groundwork for understanding ancient tattooing and body modification in other eras. The current Turkish discovery builds on that tradition by showing that piercing, jewelry, and symbolic decoration emerged in a more ancient and widespread context than previously recognized. In this light, piercing becomes not only a fashion statement of a distant era but a cultural practice rooted in the making of communal memory and identity. The work from Ankara University highlights how materials, placement, and design choices converge to tell a story about social life, ritual time, and the orgins of settled communities. (Source: Arkeonews; Ankara University)