• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Ancient Siberian ice mummy is covered in ‘really special’ tattoos todayheadline

July 31, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
A 3D model of the tattooed mummy. The top image features textures derived from photographs that were captured using light visible to the human eye, while the bottom image's textures were derived from near-infrared photography, which we cannot see
4
SHARES
9
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


A 3D model of the tattooed mummy. The top image features textures derived from photographs that were captured using light visible to the human eye, while the bottom image’s textures were derived from photography in the near-infrared, which we cannot see

M. Vavulin

Elaborate tattoos featuring tigers, birds and a fantastical animal have been revealed on an ice mummy from more than 2000 years ago. The mummified woman was from the Pazyryk culture of Siberia, part of the wider Scythian world.

Knowing the prevalence of tattoos during prehistory is hard, because few bodies dating back that far still have skin on them. But there are a few notable exceptions, including Ötzi “the Iceman”, who lived about 3300 BC and was preserved in ice.

Now, Gino Caspari at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany and his colleagues have examined the body of a semi-nomadic Iron Age pastoralist from the Altai mountains in Siberia, who was aged about 50 when she died in the 3rd or 4th century BC. She is one of a handful of people in that area whose deep burial chambers were encased in permafrost, which turned them into “ice mummies”, preserving their skin, but leaving it dark and desiccated.

An artist's recreation of one of the tattoos, featuring creatures that seemed to be both real and fantastical

The tattoos were composed of creatures that seemed to be both real and fantastical

D. Riday

“The tattoos are not visible when looking at the mummy with the naked eye,” says Caspari. So, his team used high-resolution, near-infrared photography to uncover an extraordinary array of hidden images.

“We have herbivores being hunted by tigers and leopards, and in one case by a griffin, and on the hands, we have depictions of birds,” says Caspari. “Due to their age and the vivid art style, the Pazyryk tattoos are something really special.”

One bird looks like a rooster, says team member Aaron Deter-Wolf at the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, but he says tattooed Pazyryk bodies are marked with a mix of realistic and fantastical animals, so it may be that the artist didn’t intend the bird to be a representation of a living creature.

The team also learned how the tattoos were made. “Our analysis shows that the tattoos were created using the direct puncture method, as opposed to being incised or ‘stitched’ into the skin,” says Deter-Wolf.

An artist's recreation of the one of the tattoos, which seems to feature a rooster

One of the tattoos seems to feature a rooster

D. Riday

Cross-cultural data suggests this was done using a method that is known today as hand-poking, where a needle is dipped in ink and then poked into the skin, creating an image dot by dot. Her tattoos were also made with carbon pigments, probably derived from charcoal, soot or ash.

Those on the woman’s right forearm were more technical and detailed than those on the left, so they may have been done by different people with varying levels of skill, says Caspari. “Our study shows that tattooing was not only a widespread practice on the Eurasian steppes over 2000 years ago, but also makes it clear that it was a specialised craft which involved a lot of knowledge and practice,” he says.

Topics:

Tags: ancient humans
Previous Post

Suspect arrested in killings of couple hiking with daughters in Arkansas

Next Post

What we know so far about James Andrew McGann, the suspect in the killings of a married couple hiking at Devil’s Den State Park todayheadline

Related Posts

Cameras that work like our eyes could give boost to astronomers

Cameras that work like our eyes could give boost to astronomers todayheadline

August 1, 2025
2

How Joint NASA-ESA Sea Level Mission Will Help Hurricane Forecasts

August 1, 2025
3
Next Post
ET logo

What we know so far about James Andrew McGann, the suspect in the killings of a married couple hiking at Devil’s Den State Park todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0

Swimmer Megan Romano first female to join Enhanced Games todayheadline

August 1, 2025
PLTR Revenue (Quarterly) Chart

Palantir at All-Time Highs: Buy Now or Brace for a Reality Check? todayheadline

August 1, 2025

Prosus' $4.74 billion Just Eat Takeaway deal set for EU approval todayheadline

August 1, 2025

What Quiet Leadership Looks Like in a Loud World todayheadline

August 1, 2025

Recent News

Swimmer Megan Romano first female to join Enhanced Games todayheadline

August 1, 2025
0
PLTR Revenue (Quarterly) Chart

Palantir at All-Time Highs: Buy Now or Brace for a Reality Check? todayheadline

August 1, 2025
2

Prosus' $4.74 billion Just Eat Takeaway deal set for EU approval todayheadline

August 1, 2025
2

What Quiet Leadership Looks Like in a Loud World todayheadline

August 1, 2025
3

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Swimmer Megan Romano first female to join Enhanced Games todayheadline

August 1, 2025
PLTR Revenue (Quarterly) Chart

Palantir at All-Time Highs: Buy Now or Brace for a Reality Check? todayheadline

August 1, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co