Pierced Ears

Sir Walter Raleigh

 Every now and again I have those moments in life where I begin to wonder, "Who thought that was a good idea?"  Personal adornment, as an expression of individuality, I get.  Who do you think the first person to say, "Let's drive a spike through my earlobe and make it good for something besides nibbling on," was?  Neither of my Grandmothers had pierced ears, and apparently it was a somewhat rebellious thing for my Mom to get hers done (I believe my Grandfather asked if she "wanted to look like a Gypsy").  Granted, both sides of the family had strong Protestant backgrounds, but is it truly that modern a concept?
    It turns out that people have been piercing their ears for a long long time and on every continent.  The Iceman (a 5,300 year old mummy discovered in the Alps) was found to have evidence of pierced ears, as was King Tut (though none were actually found in Tutankhaman's ears when they opened the tomb).  It seems that in Egypt, earring may have been a common ornament for children, but not adults.  The Israelites, of the Old Testament were mentioned to have golden earrings and other jewelery.  It was the Christians who later began to go away from adornment.
    The cultural significance of ear piercing varies widely from civilization to civilization.  During the Roman Empire, pierced ears were a sign of status.  In nomadic tribes the world over, carrying your wealth on your person, in the form of jewelery, could simply be a practical choice.  Passage into adulthood is marked in some cultures by the piercing of one ear.  In Borneo, a child's ears are pierced to show dependence on the parents.  Some believed that the materials used for earrings might impart mystical powers.  Apart from adornment, the Bible also mentions marking slaves by using an awl to pierce their ear.  Soldiers wore them in Mesopotamia and other ancient cultures.  Sailors were said to have worn them to potentially pay for their burial if they washed up on shore (or to pay Charon the boatman for their crossing, or because they thought it might improve their eyesight, or because they were nomads of a sort too).  It seems that this simple form of decoration took on myriad meanings.
    In medieval Europe, earrings were not widely popular, though a resurgence began in the Renaissance.  Male nobles in the 16th Century began to display a single gaudy earring to display their dash and daring.  Women still thought them somewhat uncivilized and tended to have high collars and elaborate wigs, which would tend to hide the earrings anyway.  The resurgence started in Spain, Italy, England, and France, spreading slowly back across the continent and eventually to the US (where it fell from favor again after WWI after clip-on earrings were invented, which are what my grandmothers wore, which made the "Gypsy" question doubly odd).
    Well, there we are.  It seems that only my repressive Christian forebears were strongly against getting your ears pierced.  Otherwise, the practice seems to have shown up all over the world, even if it was done for wildly different reasons.  Their presence, or absence, might hold a variety of significant meanings, dependent upon the society inn question.  The wearer might be a noble or a slave, sailor or soldier.  As I continue to develop this Fantasy world of mine, I'll have to look for some good opportunities to adorn my own people for some suitable purpose. 




Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring#History
Biblical References - http://www.openbible.info/topics/ear_piercings
General History - http://psjewelers.blogspot.com/2013/06/when-did-people-first-start-piercing.html
General Tradition - http://www.squidoo.com/history-of-ear-piercings
General Body Mod History - http://steelandsilver.com/product/piercing_history.aspx
Brief Blog - http://blog.bodyjewelry.com/?p=438