Tattoos are one of the most ancient forms of body art.
But since tattoos are applied to the human skin, which quickly rots after his death, are preserved only very rare examples of this art, Dating from ancient times.
10. The Priestess Hathor
During the study of the ancient settlements on the Nile, Deir El-Medina archaeologists discovered 3000-year-old mummy with intricate tattoos. Advanced imaging technology has identified 30 individual tattoo applied to the back, neck, arms and shoulders of the mummy. They were mostly pictures of eyes, snakes, Lotus blossoms and cows. Many of the tattoo associated with the goddess Hathor, which led to the fact that the mummy was called the “priestess of Hathor”. This mummy is the oldest example of Egyptian tattoo images. Earlier, the Egyptians inflicted on the body signs in Nubian style – dots and lines, which evolved into abstract geometric patterns.
9. Philippine fire mummies
Mummies from the caves around Cabana, the Philippines were literally toasted. Archaeologists believe that the mummies belong to the tribe ibaloi and date back to 1200-1500 years, because the tradition of Smoking corpses on an open fire disappeared during the Spanish colonization. Experts suspect that in this way were buried the chiefs of the tribes. A mummy covered in tattoos in geometric designs and animals such as lizards, snakes, Scorpions, and centipedes. In some cases there are circular tattoo around the wrist, which may symbolize the solar disk. Other tattoo designs like zigzag patterns.
8. Preserved tattoos from Polish prison
In the 19th century, the Polish authorities began to cut the tattoos from dead prisoners and catalog them. Initially this was done in order to establish the identity of the victims to the gang. Today in the Department of forensic medicine of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow is a terrible collection of 60 samples of the tattoo on the skin of people who are kept in glass jars filled with formaldehyde. Tattoos were strictly forbidden in Polish prisons. However, prisoners did them using razor blades, glass and wire. The ink for tattoos was made from the ashes of burnt rubber, tubes and rods of lead pencils mixed with water, urine, soap, or grease. These tattoos have a sophisticated level of symbolism, the precise nature of which was known only to the underworld of those years.
7. Intimate secret
In 2014 archaeologists have discovered a tattoo of a person’s name on the inside of the thigh more than 1,300-year-old Sudanese mummy. On the woman’s leg was depicted in ancient Greek characters “M-I-X-An-A”, which translates as “Michael”. Experts believe that in this case we are not talking about a lover, and protective symbol of the Archangel Michael. Previously, the symbol of the Archangel found on stone slabs in the churches, but he never met in the flesh. The researchers used computer tomography and infrared technology to examine the mummy. It turned out to be 20 – 35-year-old woman, buried in linen and wool wrapped with cloth. Unlike the traditional Egyptian mummies, it was mummified because of the extremely dry local climate. Tattoo on inner thigh indicates that it was part of the Christian community living near the Nile.
6. Mummy Colacicco
In 1972, hunters found a group of mummies in the area Colacicco – abandoned Inuit settlements in Greenland. A group belonging to the Thule culture of the mid-fifteenth century, consisted of two boys and six women. Cold and dry climate perfectly preserved the remains, which were stacked on top of each other between layers of animal fur. A two year old child suffered from down syndrome, and one of the older women was deaf, blind and suffered from a malignant tumor. Interestingly and terribly, the researchers found that the child was buried alive. Infrared analysis showed that five of the six women Colacicco had tattoos on their faces (forehead, cheeks and chin).
5. Therapeutic tattoo
Tattoos on a 1000-year old Andean mummies, discovered in the Sands around the Parking lot culture chiribaya in southern Peru, may represent the acupuncture points. The mummy was found two different types of tattoos are decorative images of animals and symbolic. Abstract tattoo may have had a ritual, protective, or even therapeutic function. For drawing images of birds, monkeys and reptiles were used inks based on lampblack. Four fingers of mummies tattooed rings. Of most interest to researchers are 12 circles-dots on the neck of the mummy. Some believe that they correspond to therapeutic points used in acupuncture for pain relief.
4. Mokomokai
In māori culture is a collective term for tattooed dried human heads – “mokomokai”. The creation of these horrible trophies of war were time consuming. First, the head severed from the body, removed the brain and eyes, and all the holes were laid with linen fiber or rubber. After that the head was boiled, smoked over an open fire and dried in the sun for several days. At the end of the head were treated with shark liver oil. Mokomokai was covered in TA Moko – ancient Maori tattoos, which, as a rule, wore only men of high status. Did these tattoos, cutting the flesh off my face with a tool like a chisel, then filling the cuts with ink. The tattooing process was extremely painful and served as a sign of maturity and entry into adulthood.
3. Razzouk
Family of Arab Christians from Jerusalem Razzouk involved getting a tattoo of Christian pilgrims for over 700 years, and still continues the business. The first tattoo parlor was opened in Egypt in the XIV century. 300 years later Razzuqi moved to Jerusalem due to the high demand for sacred tattoo. Initially, they were doing a tattoo with a consecrated long wooden sticks with thick needles attached to it. The process was painful, slow and much less accurate than modern tattooing.
2. Solomon island
Archaeologists have unearthed in the Solomon Islands obsidian tools used for tattoos 3000 years ago. Black, glass like volcanic rock contains traces of charcoal, ochre, blood and fat. Moreover, the researchers were able to replicate the tattoos on the pig skin with these simple tools. An alternative theory suggests that obsidian tools were used for bloodletting. However, this does not explain the presence of these pigments, as ochre and charcoal. In the Solomon Islands was, at least, three different traditional method of tattooing. Sometimes, the ink was applied to the incisions. In other cases, first on the skin applied ink, and then cut. Also pigment could inject under the skin with a sharp instrument (briars, thorns and fish bones).
1. Pazyryk Mummies
In 1993, archaeologists unearthed a grave of the iron age in the Altai mountains, belonging to the Pazyryk culture. Pazyryk were nomadic herdsmen who used the tattoos as a social identifier. Along with the mummies, the researchers also found in the graves of Chinese silk, carpets and a bag of marijuana. One of the mummies is considered to be the “leader” of pasarica. The man aged about 50 years is literally covered in intricate tattoo of intertwined beasts. Among them, along with the familiar creatures that are unidentified carnivorous animals and monsters. Also the mummies have found a number of round tattoos on the neck, which may have had therapeutic target.
