Oldest Tattoos Discovered on 5,000-Year-Old Mummies
In a discovery that has “pushed back evidence for tattooing in Africa by over 1,000 years,” researchers at the British Museum have found the world’s oldest tattoos on 5,000-year-old mummies. These figurative tattoos resemble letters and animals; the female mummy has four small S-shaped designs on her right shoulder. The male’s tattoos (on his upper arm) resemble a wild bull and a sheep. These are believed to represent masculinity and virility. First thought to be “smudges,” the tattoos were eventually revealed thanks to researchers scanning them using infrared machines. Read more at Dazed.
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Via dazeddigital.com link opens in a new window
