Researchers Discover 800-Year-Old South American Mummy With Unique Facial Tattoos, Ink Used Was Different Too

For centuries, archaeologists and anthropologists have turned to the past in search of how humans lived back then. Among the most fascinating of human traits are expression in the form of body art, especially tattooing, which has long served as a prominent symbol across civilizations. Although there is a deep history of this art form, physical evidence is quite hard to find. The soft tissues that hold such art form tend to decay long before modern experts can examine them. So when a well-preserved mummy is discovered with tattoos intact, it is often a priceless revelation. Intriguingly, a recent discovery has left experts stunned, according to Science Direct.

Experts working with a South American mummy, currently housed at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin in Italy, have identified tattoos on the body that are not only unique in placement but are also completely unique in design and chemical composition. Believed to be a female who lived in the Andes around 800 years ago, this mummy showcases inked patterns on her face and wrist, locations that are not so common in ancient Andean cultures. The study authors noted, "In general, skin marks on the face are rare among the groups of the ancient Andean region and even rarer on the cheeks," stated IFL Science.

The mummy’s right cheek bears three parallel lines extending from the mouth to the ear, quite uncommon, don’t you think? As if this were not enough, there is a lone S-shaped mark on her wrist, a design that experts also believe is not that common. The authors added, "As far as cultural classification on the basis of skin markings is concerned, the findings from the Turin mummy are unique," according to IFL Science. An important point to note is that to unravel these details, the team used advanced techniques, including infrared reflectography and false-color infrared photography, which successfully revealed the tattoos to the naked eye.

Moreover, the experts also deeply analyzed what the tattoos were made of, and that is where this discovery gets more interesting. Unlike the basic charcoal-based ink typically used in ancient tattoos, the Turin mummy’s tattoos were composed of a unique mixture containing magnetite, an iron oxide mineral, along with rare silicate compounds called pyroxenes. Experts exclaimed, "As far as the Authors know, the use of a black pigment made from magnetite for tattooing has not yet been reported on South American mummies…the identification of pyroxenes as tattoo pigment is even less common," stated IFL Science. 

On top of this, it is important to note that the mummy herself was wrapped in a traditional Andean "fardo" bundle, complete with textile fragments adhered to her skin. Moreover, radiocarbon dating places her death between 1215 and 1382 C.E., during the late intermediate period (most probably before the rise of the Inca Empire), according to IFL Science. However, sadly, the exact origin or cultural group she belonged to remains a mystery due to the mummy’s decontextualized state when it entered the museum’s collection.