Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of body perforation dating back 11,000 years at the Boncuklu Tarla excavation site in southeastern Türkiye. This finding, detailed in a study published in the journal Antiquity, represents the earliest known evidence of body piercing in southwest Asia.
Examples of labrets from Boncuklu Tarla. Credit: Boncuklu Tarla Excavation Archive/Baysal et al., Antiquity 2024
The discovery, led by a team from Ankara University, consists of over 100 ornaments buried alongside the skeletal remains of individuals from the early Neolithic period. These ornaments, primarily made from limestone, obsidian, chlorite, copper, or river pebbles, were found in situ next to the ears and chins of the skeletal remains.
Analysis reveals wear patterns on the lower incisors that match examples of labret wear in various cultures both historically and currently, indicating their use in both ear and lower lip piercings.
Dr. Emma Louise Baysal, ᴀssociate Professor of Prehistory at Ankara University, stated that the discovery provides the earliest contextual evidence for the use of body augmentation requiring perforation of bodily tissue in South-west Asia. She highlights that these discoveries challenge existing narratives, suggesting that initial engagement with body perforation practices occurred earlier than previously thought, around the middle of the seventh millennium BCE.
Illustration of hypothetical use of the PPN labrets and ear ornaments at Boncuklu Tarla. Credit: Baysal et al, Antiquity 2024
Moreover, the study indicates that only adults had body piercings, suggesting that the prehistoric custom might have been a ritual ᴀssociated with coming-of-age. The absence of piercings in child burials at the site indicates that piercings were not only aesthetic but also held social significance, likely serving as a rite of pᴀssage into adulthood.
Dr. Baysal further elaborates that the discovery at Boncuklu Tarla reveals the complexity of ornamentation practices in early Neolithic societies, involving beads, bracelets, pendants, and body piercings. She suggests that these practices were part of a highly developed symbolic world expressed through the human body.
The piercings were discovered on or close to the skeletons’ ear canals or mandibles. Credit: Boncuklu Tarla Excavation Archive/Baysal et al., Antiquity 2024
The research team hopes that these findings will contribute to a re-evaluation of existing South-West Asian Neolithic data.
More information: Kodaş E, Baysal EL, Özkan K. (2024). Bodily boundaries transgressed: corporal alteration through ornamentation in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic at Boncuklu Tarla, Türkiye. Antiquity:1-20. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.28
