Rare tattoo on the face of an 800-year-old South American mummy

A discovery from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin has shed new light on South American tattooing practices in ancient times.

Specifically, a team of researchers from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin, Italy, identified tattoos on the face and wrists of an 800-year-old female mummy, with patterns never seen before in the archaeological record. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

When excavated, the woman’s burial position was upright, but bent, and she was wrapped in layers of cloth, suggesting she was buried in a traditional Andean burial ritual known as fardo. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

Radiocarbon dating of the clothes stuck to her body showed that the mummy was more than 800 years old. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

The most remarkable thing about this mummy is the tattoos discovered, with the help of advanced archaeological imaging techniques. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

While some tattoo traces are visible to the naked eye, the researchers used additional 500–950 nm infrared imaging probing technology, and 950 nm broadband infrared reflectance technology to make the hidden tattoo ink patterns visible. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

Using these methods, three tattoo lines running from the person's mouth to her ear on each cheek and an S-shaped pattern on her wrist were revealed. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

Facial tattoos were rare in ancient Andean cultures, and tattoos on the cheeks were even rarer, according to researchers from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin, Italy. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

In addition to their shape, the tattoos are also notable for their composition. Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, μRaman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, scientists discovered that the tattoo pigments consist of magnetite, a mineral with a high iron content, combined with pyroxene silicate. Charcoal, the most common black pigment in tattoos since ancient times, is completely absent from this tattoo pattern. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

To the authors’ knowledge, the use of black magnetite-based tattoo pigments has not been found on ancient South American mummies. They add that the finding of pyroxene silicates in tattoo pigments is even rarer. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

The purpose of these tattoos remains uncertain, their cultural significance remains a mystery. However, the discovery provides an unprecedented look into the unusual personal and cultural expression of a woman who lived in the Andes more than 800 years ago. Photo: @Mangiapane et al.

Dear Readers, please watch the video : "Opening" the 3,000-year-old mummy of an Egyptian Pharaoh: "Shocking" real appearance and shocking secrets. Video source: @VGT TV - Life.

(According to livescience)

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/hinh-xam-hiem-tren-khuon-mat-xac-uop-nam-my-800-nam-tuoi-post1545292.html