Physiognomy holds that the face is a map of inner character and fate. Ancient Greek philosophers, including Aristotle, wrote systematic treatises linking facial features to personality traits and moral disposition.
In medieval and Renaissance Europe, physiognomy was taught alongside astrology and medicine as one of the natural sciences. Practitioners read the forehead for intellectual capacity, the eyes for truthfulness, the nose for will, and the jaw for determination.
Metoposcopy — reading the wrinkles of the forehead specifically — became a distinct sub-discipline by the 16th century. Though discredited as science, physiognomy continues as an esoteric art, influencing face-reading traditions across China, India, and the West.