Intricate tattoos discovered on 2,000-year-old frozen mummy
Intricate tattoos discovered on 2,000-year-old frozen mummy
They correspond to the Pazyryk culture of Siberia and serve as an equivalent to modern designs.
Europa Press
La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, p. 5
Madrid. A frozen mummy more than 2,000 years old has preserved intricate tattoos dating back to the Pazyryk culture of Siberia, which serve as a counterpart to modern tattoos.
An international team of archaeologists used high-resolution digital imaging techniques to examine them and shed light on the individual craftsmanship of prehistoric Siberian tattooing for the first time. The findings are published in Antiquity .
Tattooing was widespread throughout prehistory, but the lack of surviving figures hampers its research. The so-called "ice mummies" of the Altai Mountains are an exception, as their deep burial chambers, lined with permafrost, sometimes preserve the skin of the buried.
“Tattoos from the Pazyryk culture—Iron Age herders from the Altai Mountains—have long intrigued archaeologists because of their elaborate figurative designs,” says lead author Gino Caspari of the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology and the University of Bern.
Despite this, detailed studies of tattoos are rare, as high-resolution images were previously unavailable. Therefore, most studies have relied on early schematic drawings of tattoos.
“Previous studies focused primarily on the stylistic and symbolic dimensions of these tattoos, with data derived primarily from hand-made reconstructions,” Caspari explains. “These interpretations lacked clarity regarding the techniques and tools used and focused less on individuals and more on the broader social context.”
In an effort to provide a more precise method for exploring ancient tattoos, archaeologists conducted a three-dimensional scan of a tattooed Pazyryk mummy using newly available near-infrared digital photography with submillimeter resolution.
Working with modern tattoo artists, they examined tattoos in greater detail than ever before, identifying the individual tools and techniques used in their creation.
Specialized trade
Researchers found that the tattoos on the right forearm were more detailed and technical than those on the left. This suggests that different tattoo artists, or the same tattoo artist at different stages of development, contributed to the artistry.
This indicates that tattooing was not simply a form of decoration for Pazyryk culture, but a specialized craft requiring formal training and technical skill.
“This study offers a new way of recognizing personal autonomy in prehistoric body modification practices,” says Caspari. “Tattooing is not only a symbolic decoration, but also a specialized craft that requires technical skill, aesthetic sensitivity, and formal training or apprenticeship.”
Images that come to life
By identifying the individual hands behind ancient tattoos for the first time, researchers show that prehistoric Siberian tattooists were no different from today's professionals.
“This made me feel much closer to seeing the people behind the art, how they worked, learned, and made mistakes,” Caspari concludes. “The images came alive.”
Michelangelo's The Last Judgment will be restored
Europa Press
La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, p. 5
Madrid. The Vatican will begin extraordinary maintenance work in 2026 on Michelangelo's Last Judgment fresco in the Sistine Chapel.
According to Paolo Violini, the new director of the Vatican Museums' Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings and Wood Materials, in an interview with Vatican News , reported by Europa Press, the project is expected to last from January to March. During that time, scaffolding will be installed to cover the entire wall. He added that the goal of finishing in March is "to clear the wall before the beginning of Holy Week."
"There will be a dozen work platforms with elevators that, to reduce work times and avoid obstructing the public's view, will allow us to work with up to 10 or 12 people simultaneously and have a close-up view of the work," Violini noted.
He also indicated that this work will complement the regular maintenance performed annually using a mechanical lift, or "spider," adding that it is "necessary" due to the "impact of the large number of visitors" that the frescoes have.
Previously, Violini explained that the restoration of the Raphael Loggia, or Vatican Loggias, will be carried out with a five-year restoration project. It includes 14 sections of "exquisite" stucco and frescoes, the work of Giovanni da Udine and other collaborators.
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