Scientists Discover Siberian Mummy Covered In Tattoos
A team of scientists have made an amazing discovery that offers a new insight into mummification and, interestingly enough, tattooing in ancient culture. Gino Caspari, from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern, led a team of researchers who found a mummified woman in Siberia who lived over 2,000 years ago.
Her mummified body was also covered in tattoos described as intricate designs found on her hands and forearms, and are some of the most detailed found from ancient culture, according to reports from Daily Galaxy.
The publication also stated that the team’s discovery is a “breakthrough” in understanding how tattoos were applied pre-technology and their role in culture.
Caspari and his team used cutting-edge imaging techniques and technology to see the tattoos, which were actually hidden due to the mummification process.
The team’s study was published in Antiquity from Cambridge University Press, and wrote that the tattoos on the Pazyryk woman’s body are highly detailed especially in relation to how old they are. The report wrote that the team specifically used infrared and near-infrared photography to show what was under the surface.
The photography allowed them to see the tattoos that were darkened and blurred from the mummification process, and showed them a wide range of designs including simple patterns to complex scenes.
Her hands, specifically, showed things like flowers and a bird believed to be a rooster. The forearm tattoos were more intricate and showed a “moose-like animal being attacked by a mythical creature, and another features a dramatic battle between antlers animals and tigers,” Melissa Ait Lounis wrote for Daily Galaxy.
History and past studies show that Pazyryk people placed a lot of importance and meaning within their tattoos. The placement of the specific tattoos were also intentional.
Gino Caspari said that this shows how carefully the population thought out the process of tattooing as potentially a form of personal expression or social identity.
“The insights really drive home to me the point of how sophisticated these people were.”
Tattooing throughout Pazyryk culture was something that was deeply embedded in their community and the designs hold spiritual and/or social meaning. The placement on specific body parts also shows an understanding over how body art can be used to increase pieces of one’s identity.
In general, tattooing in ancient times was a complex procedure. The designs were placed on the body using hand-poking methods with sharp tools/needles being used to puncture the skin, a very tedious and lengthy process.
“This study provides the first positive evidence that the Pazyryk tattoos were created by hand poking, and establishes the use of multiple tool types.” said tattoo artist Danny Riday who helped with the study.
“It also reiterates the ability of Pazyryk tattooers, and establishes them as skilled craftspeople comparable to the Iron Age artisans who created Scythian textiles, wood, leather, and metal work.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
