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.
Via dazeddigital.com link opens in a new window
