Archaeologists have used cutting-edge technology to uncover new information about the complex tattoos of women who lived in Siberia during the Iron Age.
The prehistoric period remains on a date of more than 2,000 years ago, but according to a statement from the Ancient Journal, which published the study on Thursday, mummy skin, and therefore tattoos, are preserved in permafrost on Mount Altai.
The tattoo “has been intrigued for a long time due to its elaborate number design,” said Gino Caspari, an archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute and the University of Bern, in a statement.
However, previous studies on tattoos are based on early schematics.
“These interpretations lacked clarity about the techniques and tools used, and focused less on the comprehensive social context, not on the individual,” Casparri said.
But now, researchers are able to create 3D scans of one tattoo mummy using newly available high-resolution near-infrared photographs, shedding light on the high-level craftsmanship of Pajirik tattoo artists.
Researchers worked with modern tattoo artists to identify the tools and techniques used by ancient counterparts, revealing that this particular mummy had a more complicated tattoo on the right forearm than on the left side.
The two tattoos share many of the same characteristics, but the right arm shows “a “fine attention to detail and a larger arrangement of visual techniques” compared to the left.
The tattoo on your right arm will likely take you to complete at least two sessions, adding that it will utilize the contours of your wrist to allow the tattoo to flow over your arms.
This “clever arrangement” not only “introducing the artist’s expertise”, but also emphasizes cat animals as the focus of tattoos.
This expertise is further demonstrated by clear and consistent linework, the researchers said.
“Achieving such crisp and uniform results, especially by hand, will also be a challenge for modern tattooists using modern equipment,” they write.
This may mean that two different artists, or the same artists at different training stages, were performed by the same artist at different stages of training, according to the statement.
“This study offers a new way to recognize individual agents in prehistoric physical modification practices,” says Casparri.
“Tattoos appear not as iconic decorations, but as specialized crafts. They demanded technical skills, aesthetic sensitivity, formal training or apprentice.”
This is not different from modern tattoo artists, he added.
“This made us feel like we’re so close to seeing the people behind the arts, how they work, learn and make mistakes,” Casparri said. “The images came alive.”
