Strange wear marks on the teeth of Paleolithic people in Central Europe have long puzzled scientists, but new research may finally reveal the cause.

A group of Ice Age hunter-gatherers living in central Europe may have adorned their faces with cheek piercings at as early as six-years-old. Although the author of a recent study published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archeology isn’t the only researcher to suggest the theory,

For decades, archaeologists have studied the remains of Pavlovian peoples, who lived in Central Europe between 29,000 and 25,000 years ago. These Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, named after the Pavlov Hills in what is now the Czech Republic,