Technology Reveals Incredible Tattoos From A 2,000-Year-Old Pazyryk Ice Mummy

Researchers also learned which tools were used to make the intricate designs, and the skill levels of the artist(s)

Figure 1. Photogrammetrically created 3D model of the female mummy from Pazyryk tomb 5, showing: A) texture derived from visible-spectrum photographs; and B) texture derived from near-infrared photography (figure by M. Vavulin).

I have eleven tattoos — and I want more. Why? You might ask. I don’t know. The designs come to me, and it’s as if I instinctively know they belong on my body and are as much a part of me as my green eyes.

Yet, my experience is not unusual. In fact, it’s pretty common. Almost as though the desire to permanently decorate our bodies (or even decorate our bodies at all) is an innate aspect of our species. And considering that archeologists have found many tattooed mummies dating back thousands of years, the idea may be more true than we realize.

I’ve told you before that scientists are using advanced technology to reconstruct some of the mummified artwork, uncovering intricate designs that offer a glimpse into the lives of these ancient individuals.

And now, an international team of researchers reconstructed several tattoos from the forearms and hands of a woman who was mummified by the Siberian permafrost about 2,300 years ago. The team also identified the type of tools that created the intricate designs and compared the ancient tattooist’s skills to…