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Found high in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, Ötzi the Iceman had dark skin and eyes and was probably bald. His remarkably well-preserved remains, frozen under ice for about 5,300 years, revealed 61 tattoos inked all over his body.
How and why Ötzi, the most studied corpse in the world, acquired body art has long been a matter of interest. Initial analysis indicated that the tattoos were incised with a blade and then filled with black pigment. Now, the latest research strongly suggests that a single-point, carbon-pigmented piercing tool may be behind the markings.
“One of the threads we identified was that a lot of the work that was done on his tattoos in the beginning were excellent students who didn’t have a tattoo themselves and didn’t have personal experience with the tattooing process,” said Aaron. Deter-Wolf, lead author of the new study.
“Over the years, I’ve had many conversations with professional tattooists and when you talk about it and look at the pictures, they say, oh, no, oh, no, those aren’t cut into the skin.. .It’s not shown in a scientifically reliable setting,” explained Deter-Wolf, a prehistoric archaeologist at the Tennessee Department of Archeology who has a tattoo similar to that of Ötzi’s head on his wrist.
The study, published in the European Journal of Archeology on March 13, reviewed existing literature on Ötzi’s tattoos and drew on modern-day experiments that replicated ancient tattooing techniques.
“Most of them were on the lower legs and ankles. One on the left and they have a row on the lower back around the cervical spine,” Deter-Wolf said.
“They are lines that are crossed in some cases but often parallel to each other. They range from two (lines) to five or six of them.”
Scientists have analyzed almost every part of Ötzi and his belongings, painting a personal picture of life in the late fourth millennium BC. And now, the new study provides a better understanding of how the oldest tattoos in human history were created, although questions remain about the meaning behind the body art.
A famous scientific person
At first, researchers believed that Ötzi froze to death, but a 2001 X-ray revealed an arrowhead in his shoulder, which would have been fatal. The iceman also had a head injury, possibly sustained at the same time, and his right hand shows a defensive wound.
The mystery of Ötzi’s violent death, who he was and how he ended up on a mountain pass has sparked interest far beyond the realm of archaeology. Every year, thousands visit his mummified remains, which are on display at the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum in Bolzano, Italy.
The current body of scholarship on Ötzi is extremely comprehensive. The contents of his stomach revealed his last meal and where he came from, a study of his DNA revealed his ancestry and appearance, his arms revealed he was right-handed, and his clothing provided a rare insight into what he was up to worn by ancient people.
In a February 2016 study, Deter-Wolf compiled a database of numerous examples of ancient tattoos, including body art found on the mummified remains of Egypt, China and the Incas, showing Ötzi’s body art as the oldest examples of a tattoo. The feat was made possible thanks to non-destructive digital imaging technology and collaborations between archaeologists and tattoo artists.
“When we put our heads together, we come up with a much better and more informed hypothesis about how these things work,” he said.
A 2016 study suggests that tattoos are a long-standing and widespread cultural practice, with various methods of permanently inserting pigments under the skin. Techniques include manual poking or tapping using a single-point tool that may or may not have a handle; incision; and subdermal tattooing, or skin suturing, using a needle to thread ink filaments or veins.
Deter-Wolf and his colleagues also experimented with different traditional techniques in a study in September 2022. Using eight tools made from animal bone, obsidian, copper and boar tusk, as well as a modern steel needle, ink traditional tattoo artist from New Zealand and study co-author Danny Riday tattoos on his leg.
The tattoos on Ötzi’s body have rounded edges consistent with hand tattooing, likely done with bone or copper, Deter-Wolf said. In contrast, an incision tattoo creates pointed edges because of the way the lines are cut into the skin.
“There’s variation in the line because you’re putting all these individual punctures in so close together and how much they overlap gives a kind of stippling effect when you look at it at high enough magnification.”
Ötzi’s bone awl carried in his tool kit could be a possible candidate but it has yet to be studied in detail to confirm whether microscopic wear marks are consistent with a tattoo function. However, Deter-Wolf thinks it’s unlikely.
“It’s very expressive in the context (of) a wooden man outfit rather than a tattoo outfit.”
Dr. Matt Lodder, senior lecturer in art history and theory, and director of American studies at the University of Essex in the UK.
“The real magic of Ötzi’s story to modern eyes is how familiar it feels – anyone who has had a tattoo, especially if you’ve tattooed with hand tools, can relate to have the feelings he would feel while tattooing, the process he went through. through to heal his tattoos,” said Lodder, who is the author of “Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos”. He was not involved in the study.
“How we can empathize so strongly with a man who lived five millennia ago is an incredibly powerful connection to our shared human history.”
The unsolved mystery of Ötzi’s tattoo
Why did Ötzi have so many tattoos? One explanation put forward in the scientific literature is that they were an ancient medical technique, a bit like an early form of acupuncture, rather than body art. Many of the tattoos may be an ancient way of treating joint pain in the lower back, knees, hips and wrists.
“We don’t agree with the idea that they could be therapeutic. I think it’s all on the table. Just because something gave us therapeutic treatment doesn’t mean it doesn’t have symbolic cultural value,” Deter-Wolf said.
Marco Samadelli, senior researcher at the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, a private research institute in Bolzano, said the work was of “high scientific quality”.
“The authors do not claim with absolute certainty the piercing tattoo technique with a single-pointed instrument, but they give extensive and plausible explanations,” he said via email.
Samadelli encouraged the team to continue their study of Ötzi’s tattoos and how they were made.
“So far, there are no plans to examine the bone awl and horn tooth found with the Iceman to see if they were used as hand-tipped tools, but I hope that Aaron Deter-Wolf will maintain interest and apply to the scientific committee. Ötzi Museum to analyze and study them.”
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