Tattoo News

YaHoo! Extraordinary ancient tattoo art uncovered on 2300-year-old ice mummy in groundbreaking study

A woman buried more than 2000 years ago in the icy Altai Mountains of Siberia has become the unlikely subject of one of the most exciting archaeological tattoo studies in recent years. Preserved in permafrost and long thought to be faded or invisible body art, her intricate tattoos have been brought to light using high-resolution near-infrared imaging - revealing a remarkable canvas of animals, mythical beasts, and ancient artistry.

“We knew that these mummies had tattoos,” explains Dr. Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern. “But some had skin so darkened and shriveled that the ink was no longer visible to the naked eye."  “So what we’ve done is essentially record wavelengths outside what humans can see - and that reveals these tattoos quite beautifully."

The mummy, belonging to the nomadic Pazyryk culture, was unearthed decades ago in the Altai Mountains, a region spanning southern Siberia, eastern Kazakhstan, and northwestern China.
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Thanks to the advanced imaging techniques and a collaboration with a tattooist, the team uncovered vivid tattoos across the woman's body, including hunting scenes of tigers and leopards attacking deer and reindeer-like creatures.

She wasn't even a Goth.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Doughnut Dolly up on time and under budget.