Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
Found high in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, Ötzi the Iceman had dark skin and eyes, and was probably bald. His extraordinarily well-preserved remains, frozen under the ice for approximately 5,300 years, revealed 61 tattoos inked all over his body.
It has long been a matter of curiosity how and why Ötzi, perhaps the most studied corpse in the world, obtained his body art. Initial analysis suggested that the tattoos were cut with a knife and then covered with black pigment. Recent research strongly suggests that the marks may have been a single-point drilling tool with carbon pigment behind it.
“One of the points we’ve established is that most of the studies on his tattoos were originally done by excellent academics, but they weren’t tattooed themselves and had no personal experience with the tattooing process,” Aaron said. Deter-Wolf is the 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, these are definitely not cut into the skin… but that’s not the case at all. “It hasn’t been demonstrated in a scientifically sound environment,” explained Deter-Wolf, a prehistoric archaeologist with the Tennessee Department of Archeology who has a tattoo similar to Ötzi’s on his wrist.
The study, published March 13 in the European Journal of Archeology, reviewed existing literature on Ötzi’s tattoos and drew on modern-day experiments replicating ancient tattoo techniques.
“Most of them were on the lower legs and ankles. One on the left wrist and lower back, and there’s a series of them around the cervical spine,” Deter-Wolf said.
“These are lines that intersect in some cases but are mostly parallel to each other. It varies from two (rows) to five or six.
By analyzing nearly every piece of Ötzi and his belongings, scientists have painted an intimate picture of life in the late 4th millennium BC. And now, new study provides a better understanding of how the oldest known tattoos in human history were created, but there are still questions about the meaning behind the body art.
A scientific celebrity
Initially, researchers believed Ötzi froze to death, but a 2001 X-ray revealed a potentially fatal arrowhead in his shoulder. The iceman also had a possibly concurrent head injury and appears to have a defensive wound on his right hand.
Ötzi’s violent death, and the mystery of who he was and how he ended up in a mountain pass, have sparked interest far beyond the field of archaeology. Every year, thousands of people visit his mummified remains, which are displayed at the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum in Bolzano, Italy.
The available scholarship on Ötzi is surprisingly comprehensive. He gave information about his stomach contents, his last meal and where it came from; Studies of his DNA revealed his ancestry and appearance; His weapons showed that he was right-handed, and his clothing gave a rare glimpse into what ancient people actually wore.
In a February 2016 study, Deter-Wolf compiled a database of dozens of examples of ancient tattoos, including body art found in Egyptian, Chinese and Incan mummified remains, and identified Ötzi’s body art as the earliest known examples of tattooing. This achievement was made possible thanks to non-destructive digital imaging technology and collaborations between archaeologists and tattoo artists.
“When we all put our heads together, we come up with much better and more informed hypotheses about how these things work,” he said.
Research conducted in 2016 suggests that tattoos are a long-standing and widespread cultural practice with different ways of permanently placing pigment under the skin. Techniques include manual poking or tapping using a single-point tool with or without a handle; incision; and subcutaneous tattooing or skin stitching, using a filament soaked in ink or a needle to thread the nerve.
Deter-Wolf and colleagues also tried different traditional techniques in a September 2022 study. Danny Riday, a New Zealand traditional tattoo artist and co-author of the study, inked the tattoos on his leg using eight tools made from animal bone, obsidian, copper and pig tusks, as well as a modern steel needle.
Deter-Wolf said the tattoos on Ötzi’s body had rounded edges, consistent with a hand-made tattoo, most likely made of bone or copper. In contrast, an incised tattoo creates jagged edges due to the way the lines are cut into the skin.
“There’s a variation within the line because you’re placing all these individual holes so close together, and how much they overlap creates a sort of stippling effect when you look at it under high enough magnification.”
The bone awl that Ötzi carried in his toolbox was a potential candidate, but it has not yet been examined in detail to confirm whether the microscopic wear marks are consistent with a tattoo function. But Deter-Wolf thinks this is unlikely.
“It’s quite evocative in the context of the jungler set rather than the tattoo set.”
Senior instructor of art history and theory and director of American studies, Dr. Matt Lodder said the new information about how Ötzi’s tattoos were likely made was “particularly exciting” because the piercing method used showed continuity with today’s tattoo techniques. at the University of Essex in England.
“The real magic of Ötzi’s story to modern eyes is how familiar it seems; Anyone who has had a tattoo, especially if you have had it done with hand tools, can relate to the process they experience and the feelings they will feel while getting a tattoo. “I continue to heal his tattoos,” said Lodder, who is also the author of “Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos.” He did not participate in the research.
“The fact that we can empathize so strongly with a man who lived five thousand years ago is an extremely strong bond between us and our common human past.”
The unsolved mystery of Ötzi’s tattoos
Why did Ötzi have so many tattoos? One explanation put forward in the scientific literature is that they are less body art than an ancient healing technique somewhat similar to an early form of acupuncture. Many tattoos may be an ancient way of treating joint pain in your lower back, knees, hips and wrists.
“We disagree with the idea that it could be therapeutic. I think everything is on the table. “Just because something offers us a therapeutic treatment doesn’t mean it doesn’t have culturally symbolic value,” Deter-Wolf said.
Marco Samadelli, senior researcher at the Eurac Research Institute for Mummy Studies, a private research institute in Bolzano, said the study was of a “high scientific standard”.
“The authors do not definitively claim that the drilling tattoo technique was practiced with a single-pointed tool, but they do give comprehensive and plausible descriptions,” he said via email.
Samadelli wanted the team to continue their study of Ötzi’s tattoos and how they were made.
“To date there are no plans to examine the bone awl and antler tooth found with the Iceman to see if they were used as manual tools, but I hope Aaron Deter-Wolf remains interested and appeals to the Science Committee. The Ötzi Museum will analyze and study them .”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com