Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
LiveScience
LiveScience
Kristina Killgrove

Ice age Europeans as young as 10 years old rocked cheek piercings 30,000 years ago

Drawing of teeth with wear next to a photograph of a jaw with worn teeth.

Strange, flat patches on the teeth of ancient Europeans have puzzled archaeologists for centuries. But one researcher thinks he's solved the mystery: Ice age people as young as 10 years old rocked cheek piercings.

These piercings likely signaled a person's membership in a group, according to John Willman, a biological anthropologist at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, but they also caused teeth to move.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.