New imaging reveals intricate tattoos on 2,000-year-old Siberian ‘ice mummy’

Archaeologists have used cutting edge techniques to reveal new information about the intricate tattoos of a woman that lived in Siberia during the Iron Age.

Although the prehistoric remains date from more than 2,000 years ago, the skin, and therefore the tattoos, of mummies from the region’s Pazyryk culture have been preserved in permafrost in the Altai mountains, according to a statement from the journal Antiquity, which published the study, on Thursday.

The tattoos “have long intrigued archaeologists due to their elaborate figural designs,” said study author Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern, in the statement.

However, previous research on the tattoos has been based on early schematic drawings.

“These interpretations lacked clarity regarding the techniques and tools used and did not focus much on the individuals but rather the overarching social context,” said Caspari.

Now, however, researchers have been able to produce a 3D scan of one tattooed mummy using newly-available high-resolution near infrared photography, shedding light on the high-level of craftsmanship of Pazyryk tattoo artists.

Researchers worked with modern tattoo artists to identify the tools and techniques used by their ancient counterparts, revealing that this particular mummy had more intricate tattoos on its right forearm than on the left.

While the two tattoos share many of the same characteristics, the right arm shows “a finer attention to detail and a greater array of visual techniques” compared to the left, according to the study.

The right arm tattoo most likely took at least two sessions to complete, and makes use of the contours of the wrist to allow the tattoo to flow over the arm, it adds.

This “clever placement” not only “showcases the artist’s expertise,” but emphasizes a feline animal as the focal point of the tattoo, according to the study.

This expertise is further demonstrated by the clear and consistent linework, said the researchers.

“Achieving such crisp and uniform results, especially with hand-poked methods, would be a challenge even for contemporary tattooists using modern equipment,” they wrote.

This may mean that the work was carried out by two different artists, or the same artist at different stages of training, indicating that tattooing was a skilled craft for the Pazyryk, requiring formal training and technical ability, according to the statement.

“The study offers a new way to recognize personal agency in prehistoric body modification practices,” said Caspari.

“Tattooing emerges not merely as symbolic decoration but as a specialized craft – one that demanded technical skill, aesthetic sensitivity, and formal training or apprenticeship.”

This is not dissimilar to modern tattoo artists, he added.

“This made me feel like we were much closer to seeing the people behind the art, how they worked and learned and made mistakes,” said Caspari. “The images came alive.”

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