A human that lived over 12,000 years ago in east Africa probably had facial piercings, making this the oldest known example of a facial piercing in Africa, and the second oldest in the world. The finding suggests humans have been wearing facial piercings in Africa since deep in prehistory.

“We’re potentially opening a window into the life of this individual,” says John Willman at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. Piercings and other body modifications “are often associated with social …