Scientists employing advanced imaging techniques have discovered elaborate tattoos covering the 1,200-year-old mummified remains of an individual from Peru’s Chancay culture. The findings advance our understanding of body art worn by ancient Peruvians and reveal the surprising complexity of their tattoo production methods.
Dr. Michael Pittman from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), in partnership with Thomas G. Kaye from the Foundation for Scientific Advancement in Sierra Vista, discovered the tattoo while conducting analysis using laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF). The findings change the timeline and use of advanced imaging techniques and expand the understanding of pre-Columbian culture and their artists’ abilities within the ancient society.
Tattooing Throughout History
The first documented tattoo in culture dates back around 5,000 years ago, offering a glimpse into the art and culture of the ancient world.
One of the earliest fascinating discoveries involving ancient tattoo art was the “Iceman,” also known as Ötzi, a naturally preserved mummy found in the Alps between Austria and Italy in 1991. The discovery of the body, believed to date back to 3,300 BCE, revealed 61 tattoos. The discovery highlights the early use of tattoos and takes archaeologists back to a time when body art was first worn as a reflection of an individual’s health, identity, and culture.
As time has progressed and human cultures have changed, the concept of tattoos has also evolved. In the early 20th century, tattoos were often frowned upon in the West and associated with various professions or subcultures, including sailors, circus performers, and criminals. Throughout the mid and late-20th century, the artist’s expression of inking became more acceptable in the mainstream. Today, tattoos are widely accepted in Western culture and are often chosen purely for aesthetics.
Continuities Between Then and Now
“Tattoos today remain a form of artistic expression and carry cultural significance,” Pittman said in an email to The Debrief. “They also vary in quality and design.”
Overall, Dr. Pittman says he sees a lot of similarities between tattoos today and those from thousands of years ago, and that some ancient tattooing practices are still kept today by traditionalists.
“Most tattoos are made with modern tattoo needles, but traditional tattoo artists still preserve ancient practices,” Pittman told The Debrief. “I still can’t believe that the high-detail tattoos we found in Chancay cannot be made by a standard #12 modern tattoo needle – it really highlights just how much more we can learn from traditional tattoo artists about this important enduring artform.”
With LSF technology, researchers can better understand and examine ancient tattoos. Historically, these tattoos were known to be faded by post-mortem skin decay, obscuring their original artistry. More recently, LSF technology, which produces high-contrast fluorescence images from preserved skin, has revealed detailed fine-line tattoos with intricate designs as narrow as 0.1-0.2 mm.
“We expected our laser imaging to make the tattoos clearer to see, but we could not have imagined just how much more detailed some of the tattoos were compared to other Chancay art forms,” Pittman said. “We were so excited when we saw our laser first image as we knew straight away that we had found something special.”
Surprisingly, the ancient artists’ precocious understanding of tattooing techniques similar to modern ones unveils an astonishing level of detail while offering a glimpse into the past. The Chancay tattoos feature elaborate geometric and zoomorphic patterns that compete with the artistry conveyed in Chancay pottery, textiles, and rock art.
“Geometric elements like triangles appear across many Chancay art forms, including tattoos, pottery, and textiles,” explains Pittman. “Some pottery figures even show people with geometric tattoo designs. Such connection across different art forms can be found in other cultures of the time, but not always.”
Despite what Pittman and the team’s recent analysis reveals about these ancient body art images, several mysteries remain. One is the question of exactly what process the ancient artists relied on to create the tattoos.
“We still don’t know exactly how the tattoos were made, but it involved a point finer than a modern #12 tattoo needle,” Pittman told The Debrief. “Based on what was available to the Chancay, the tattoos were probably made with a cactus needle or a sharpened animal bone.”
Pittman says the size of the tools used by the ancient Chancay artists likely offers potential clues about the meaning behind the tattoos.
“Our discovery of such fine Chancay tattoos (0.1-0.2 mm wide lines) tells us that at least some of their tattoos were made with special effort, probably carried commensurate importance to the Chancay,” Pittman said.
Ultimately, the discovery captures a moment in the history of Chancay’s artistic expression, but it also reveals deeper questions about the role of tattoos in ancient societies and raises questions about whether tattoos were seen as status symbols or possibly as spiritual emblems in ancient cultures.
The original findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com.