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iamnotfromthis t1_iznkh7m wrote

I always wondered when did european women start piercing their ears for the use of earrings. Wasn't it a dangerous practice given that it could easily become infected?

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Bashstash01 t1_izno316 wrote

Ear piercing is one if the oldest forms of body modification. They were common in Minoan civilization, and even King Tut had his ears pierced. I'm not exactly sure about European women specifically, but I'd assume both genders had similar amounts of piercing.

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iamnotfromthis t1_iznvpfy wrote

thank you, I am curious to know if it has always been common practice in europe or if it spread from a certain time period, did the normans pierce their ears? the anglo-saxons? the scandinavians? I have no idea, but the thought that it was a non-gendered practice is very interesting from a modern perspective

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Frequent_Ad_5670 t1_izppl5d wrote

I don‘t know when exactly it became common practice in Europe, but it seems to be a very old tradition, as the user before stated, that earrings were common in the Minoan civilization already. In medeival time, it was common for both genders.

Interesting anecdote: Ever heard the German term ‚Schlitzohr‘? It translates to ‚rascal’, but the original meaning is ‚slit ear‘. It was tradition for master craftsmen and merchants to wear earrings as sign of their respectability. When they were caught cheating their customers, the earring was ripped off as a punishment. The slit ear showed that they are dishonest persons.

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phillipgoodrich t1_izqgr4a wrote

Body piercing is as old as civilization, and was practiced in almost all cultures, including the Vikings (which would of course include the Normans) as well as the Anglo-Saxons. It was a straightforward means of carrying personal wealth on one's person, and quickly came to signify status (like walking around with a wad of $100 bills thumbtacked on one's forehead). In the case of human chattel slaves, a noble, monarch, or other person of means could use enslaved persons to carry their enslaver's wealth for convenience.

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