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Ear Piercing is a form of mild Body Modification and has been practiced all over the world since ancient times.

There is considerable written and archaeological evidence of the practice.

Mummified bodies with Ear Piercings have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date, the 5,300-year-old Ötzi (The Iceman), which was found in a glacier in Austria. This mummy had an Ear Piercing 7–11 mm (1 to 000 gauge in American wire gauge) diameter.

The oldest earrings found in a grave, date to 2500 BCE.
These were located in the Sumerian city of Ur, home of the Biblical patriarch Abraham.

Earrings are mentioned in the Bible.
In Genesis 35:4, Jacob buries the earrings worn by Members of his household along with their idols. In Exodus 32, Aaron makes the golden calf from melted earrings. Deuteronomy 15:12–17 dictates Ear Piercing for a slave who chooses not to be freed.

Earrings are also referenced in connection to the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, in the Vedas.

Earrings for pierced ears were found in a grave in the Ukok region between Russia and China, dated between 400 and 300 BCE.

There are a large number of Ear Piercing types with the majority of these being made available "over the counter", so to speak.

In modern society it is now socially acceptable in many circumstances to display a number of these Ear Piercing types.
Gone are the days of social pariah or harshly judgements towards those who display a variety of Ear Piercings.

Above, you will see a diagram showing the various Ear Piercings available, while this is not a complete list of Ear Piercing types, it does provide a visual aid in understanding the various Ear Piercing explanations below.

* See also: Body Piercing and Navel Piercing.

Of all the Ear Piercing types, The Conch is possibly the fastest growing trend of recent years.

This Ear Piercing is administered inside the Ear itself and can be used to provide a variety of situations.

The jewel itself adds a great deal of diversity to this Ear Piercing as it will easily allow you to use a small under-stated gem to add "class" all the way up to a large ball bearing (or, in many cases - a decorated jewel such as a, Spike).

This is the traditional Ear Piercing that boomed in popularity during the late 1980s.

The Ear Lobe itself has fewer nerve endings than the rest of the Ear and contains no Cartilage.

While this does not mean that the procedure will be painless - it should, in theory, be substantially less painful than the other Ear Piercing types.

There are a number of various positions that a Helix Piercing can be put with one of the more common being the Forward Helix, which is shown above (noted as "Inner Pinner").

This is simply an Ear Piercing through the Cartilage touching your head and is usually displayed as a small ball bearing on the outside of your Ear (not far off where the side burns are positioned on a man).

Again, this Ear Piercing type will often be jeweled with a small bar, but with one of the 2 ball bearings being hidden from immediate view by a fold in the Ear Cartilage.

This is a growing trend in Ear Piercing types and is made up of 2 holes in the upper Ear.

The first is close to the head near where the Ear joins the head and the second is on the outer rim of the Ear.

There will then normally be a bar placed through the holes with two metal ball bearings on the outside of the Ear to stop the bar slipping out - the angle of the jewelry is normally around 40 degrees, but varies depending on the shape of the Ear.

This Ear Piercing is named after a particular part of the Ear.

Depending on Ear shape, there may either not be a Rook in the Ear in which to pierce, or it may not be protruding enough to be securely pierced.

It is very important that if considering this Ear Piercing - you go to someone with experience in it since a Rook Piercing that is not in securely is not only susceptible to tearing, but can also stretch the skin (if not placed cleanly in the Cartilage) of the Ear.

This is a similar Ear Piercing to The Helix (in fact, many people describe this as a form of The Helix).

The positioning itself is actually adjacent to the Forward Helix, but normally uses the same jewel.

This Ear Piercing is located at the opening of the Ear within a fairly solid part of Cartilage.

While this does allow for a secure and robust Ear Piercing - it is worth bearing in mind that it can affect the fit of headphones and Ear plugs (especially during the healing period).