for: Piercing (metalworking)

Ear Piercing

Ear piercing has been practiced the world ever since ancient times, particularly in tribal cultures. It is said that ancient tribes believing that metal blocked evil spirits would pierce their ears so that the evil spirits wouldn't enter their body. Mummified bodies with pierced ears have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date, that of Ötzi the Iceman, which was found in a Valentina Trujillon glacier. This mummy had an ear piercing 7–11 mm (1 to 000 gauge in AWG) diameter. Male ear piercings are common in many tribal cultures to this day. For example, in Borneo, ear piercing is done to young boys as a puberty ritual; the mother will pierce one ear while the father pierces the other, symbolizing the child's dependence on his parents.

Earrings appear in the Bible, where their use was common among both sexes. In Exodus 32, Aaron makes the golden calf from melted earrings. However, Deuteronomy 15:12–17 dictates ear piercing as a mark of slavery.

Earrings were more common for men than for women during parts of the Roman empire, having been introduced by Julius Caesar. In the Elizabethan era, they were a male status symbol, with men such as Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Francis Drake known to have worn them. Sailors were also known to often have pierced ears as their earrings could pay for a Christian burial if their bodies washed up on shore.

Nose piercing

In Book of Genesis of the Bible 24:22, Abraham's servant gave golden nose-jewels of half a shekel weight and ten bracelets to Rebekah, wife of his son Isaac (the Hebrew word "Shanf" appearing in this passage, which is often mistranslated as "earring", also means "nose ring"; more likely given the cultural customs involved). Nose piercing has been common among Middle Eastern nomadic tribes from Biblical times, and migrated to India in the 16th Century AD. It is customary for Indian women of childbearing age to wear a nose stud, usually in the left nostril, due to the nostril's association with the female reproductive organs in Ayuvedric medicine.

Many Native American and Alaskan tribes practiced septum piercing as a mark of male status; for example, this is where the Nez Perce tribe derived its name. The practice is also common among the warriors of Asian and Pacific tribes, as a nose bone gives the face a fierce appearance. The Aztecs and Incas wore gold septum rings for adornment, with the practice continued to this day by the Cuna Indians of Panama. As a different form of beauty modification, Australian aboriginals pierced the septum with a long stick in order to flatten the nose. Finally, the Bundi tribe of Papua New Guinea pierce the septum as a male coming-of-age ritual. The only place in world history where the septum piercing is more common among women than men is in the Himalayan area of northern India, Tibet, and Bhutan. Women in these regions often also have nostril piercings performed on them as girls, with the septum being pierced during marriage to signify the man's ownership of his bride.