Mysterious tattoos on ancient mummies

In the ancient worldview, tattoos were symbols of power, healing, magic, or reflection of the natural world.

According to Ancient Origins , depending on time and cultural factors, body tattoos were considered vile, barbaric, or indicative of royal status. Ancient tattoos were often painted with dyes, soot, plant materials. Scientists found tattoos on many mummies that have survived to this day.

Iceman tzi

One of the most famous natural mummies with tattoo design clothing tattoos is Ötzi the Iceman. This is a frozen mummy discovered in the Alps between Italy and Austria in 1991. The mummy dates to around 3,300 BC.

Scientists believe that the dark tattoos on the Ötzi ice man serve a therapeutic purpose, similar to an acupuncture treatment that originated in Asia 2,000 years later.

“The distribution of tattoos in the form of dots, crosses below the waist, right knee and ankle joints correspond to areas of degeneration. This suggests that ancient people used tattoos. to relieve joint pain,” commented Joann Fletcher, an archaeologist at the University of York, UK.

Siberian Ice Maiden and Scythian Warrior

The “Siberian Ice Maiden” or “Ukok Princess” is the mummy of a young girl found in 1993 in Altai, near the common border of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. This girl was a shaman or spiritual leader of the nomadic Pazyryk people from 2,500 years ago.

To show her power, Princess Ukok tattooed on her splendid images of cougars, sheep, deer with large horns, even mythical creatures like the winged leopard. Many people think that tattoos on mummies are very modern, close to today's tattoo patterns.

Princess Ukok was buried with the Scythian warriors and six horses. On the body of a warrior, there are many animal tattoos and winding lines, diverse colors, highly expressive.

“Of all the tattoos that archaeologists have found around the world, the tattoo on the Pazyryk mummy is the most complex and the most beautiful,” said Natalia Polosmak, the archaeologist who discovered the mummy of Princess Ukok. , said. 

Madam Cao's mummy

In 2005, archaeologists discovered the viking inspired clothing mummy of a woman in a burial chamber deep inside the ancient Peruvian sacrificial site in Trujillo, Peru. This mummy dating from 450 AD is named Lady Cao.

The burial chamber features golden ornaments and symbols of power. This shows that this woman had a high status in society at that time, possibly an ancient female shaman.

According to National Geographic , the mummy's body has many tattoos with intricate geometric designs and animal images such as spiders, fish, snakes, crabs, and beasts. They are created by implanting charcoal powder underneath the skin with a sharp needle or cactus spine.