Stunning Tattoos Discovered on Siberian Mummy From 2,000 Years Ago

[Judi Lynn]

Last edited Sun Aug 3, 2025, 08:17 AM - Edit history (2)

02 August 2025
By Michelle Starr



High-resolution photo of the tattoo on the woman's right forearm. (G. Caspari & M. Vavulin)
A woman who lived and died 2,000 years ago in the Altai Mountains of Siberia is opening a new window into ancient tattoos.

A careful analysis of her mummified remains didn't just reveal tattooed figures across both hands and forearms, but the method whereby they were applied. These adornments, says a team of researchers led by Gino Caspari from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern in Germany, are some of the most elaborate ever seen from the Pazyryk culture to which she belonged.

"The tattoos of the Pazyryk culture – Iron Age pastoralists of the Altai Mountains – have long intrigued archaeologists due to their elaborate figural designs," Caspari says.

"Prior scholarship focused primarily on the stylistic and symbolic dimensions of these tattoos, with data derived largely from hand-drawn reconstructions. These interpretations lacked clarity regarding the techniques and tools used, and did not focus much on the individuals but rather the overarching social context."

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/stunning-tattoos-discovered-on-siberian-mummy-from-2000-years-ago





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