Tattoos rule on the face and arm of an ancientSouth American mummyare totally unlike any other known model of ancient body art . identify the tatts in a new study , researchers say the pattern are unique not only in their composition , but also in the character of ink that was used to make them .
Currently housed at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Turin , Italy , the female mommy is believed to have hold out in the Andes around eight centuries ago , although exactly when , where and in which ethnical group she lodge in is unknown . Given the flexed position of the physical structure and the presence of textile fragments bind to the skin , the study author believe the woman was buried in a “ distinctive Andean mummy bundle ” have it off as a fardo .
Radiocarbon dating of these fabric has show that the mummy pall some time between 1215 and 1382 CE , and while some of hertattooswere seeable to the nude centre , others had to be revealed usinghigh - technical school imagery method . accidentally , the pre - Hispanic char sprain out to have tattoo on her right impertinence , in the grade of three wide space true blood run from the mouthpiece to the ear .
The unique S-shaped tattoo on the mummy’s wrist.Image credit: Mangiapane et al. Journal of Cultural Heritage (2025)
“ In general , skin marks on the face are rare among the groups of the ancient Andean region and even rarer on the buttock , ” pen the study author . A simple S - shaped invention on the mummy ’s right radiocarpal joint , meanwhile , is account as “ unique for the Andean region as a tattoo , ” with the researchers explaining that “ no parallels are known ” on othermummified individuals .
“ As far as cultural classification on the basis ofskin markingsis concerned , the findings from the Turin mum are unparalleled , ” add the writer . As such , they are ineffective to tender any conclusion as to the purpose or meaning of the tattoos , although the fact that they are located on highly visible parts of the consistence may advise that they had a cosmetic or communicative function .
Using a series of chemic analysis proficiency , the subject field authors were also able to reveal that the tattoo were created with a pigment made from an smoothing iron ore call magnetite as well as silicate minerals called pyroxene . In line , charcoal – which was by far the most common pitch-dark paint used in ancient tattoos – was surprisingly absentminded from the ink .
The subject area has been published in theJournal of Cultural Heritage .
