2 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Frozen but Not Forgotten: 2,500-Year-Old Tattoos of Siberian Ice Mummy Digitally Reconstructed

Siberian Ice Mummy: Unveiling Ancient Tattoo Traditions of Iron Age Siberia

In a groundbreaking fusion of archaeology and modern imaging, scientists have revealed never-before-seen details of ancient tattooing practices in Iron Age Siberia, offering new insight into one of humanity’s oldest forms of body art.

Using high-resolution near-infrared imaging and 3D photogrammetry, researchers have re-examined the preserved tattoos of a 2,500-year-old Pazyryk mummy from the Altai Mountains. The tattoos, hidden beneath layers of mummified skin and centuries of degradation, are now being brought back to life—digitally.

A New Look at Ancient Skin

The Pazyryk people, part of the wider Scythian cultural world, are known for their elaborate tombs, intricate artwork, and—for a select few—their richly decorated bodies. Until now, archaeologists relied on hand-drawn interpretations of these tattoos, but this new study has uncovered far more: evidence of multiple tattoo artists, advanced design techniques, and the tools likely used to create them.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to distinguish the hands of different artists on a single body,” said Dr. Gino Caspari, lead researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology. “What we’re seeing is not just decoration, but craftsmanship and collaboration.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Photogrammetrically created 3D model of the female mummy from Pazyryk Tomb 5, showing: A) texture derived from visible-spectrum photographs; B) texture derived from near-infrared photography.
(Figure by M. Vavulin) Credit: Caspari, G., Deter-Wolf, A., Riday, D., Vavulin, M., & Pankova, S. - Antiquity
Photogrammetrically created 3D model of the female mummy from Pazyryk Tomb 5, showing: A) texture derived from visible-spectrum photographs; B) texture derived from near-infrared photography. (Figure by M. Vavulin) Credit: Caspari, G., Deter-Wolf, A., Riday, D., Vavulin, M., & Pankova, S. – Antiquity

Technological Breakthroughs Rewrite Tattoo History

The team applied near-infrared photography to reveal pigment embedded deep in the skin layers—details previously invisible to the naked eye. Paired with experimental tattooing techniques, the data shows that multi-point and single-point tools were used, debunking older theories that ancient tattoos were applied only by stitching or incision.

One arm features complex animal motifs, such as deer and tigers, arranged with striking anatomical accuracy and perspective—suggesting a seasoned artist. The other arm’s simpler lines may have been inked by an apprentice or a different artist entirely.

Living Ink, Lost in Death

Perhaps most revealing, researchers found that post-mortem burial incisions sliced through the tattoos with no apparent effort to preserve them—indicating these images held meaning only for the living.

“There’s no sign the tattoos had religious or afterlife significance,” Caspari explained. “They were part of identity, status, maybe storytelling—but once the person died, that chapter closed.”

An illustration of the tattoo on the woman's left forearm revealed in new scans. Credit: Daniel Riday
An illustration of the tattoo on the woman’s left forearm revealed in new scans. Credit: Daniel Riday

Ink of the Ancients, Lessons for Today

The Pazyryk used carbon-based pigments—likely soot—mirroring tattoo traditions around the globe. Despite the millennia that separate modern artists from their Siberian ancestors, the tools, techniques, and intentions behind these tattoos offer a striking sense of continuity.

As climate change threatens the frozen tombs that preserved these remains for centuries, researchers stress the urgency of digital preservation. This study is not just about understanding the past—it’s about saving it.

Caspari, G., Deter-Wolf, A., Riday, D., Vavulin, M., & Pankova, S. (2025). High-resolution near-infrared data reveal Pazyryk tattooing methods. Antiquity, 1–15. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10150

Cover Image Credit: An illustration of the tattoo on the woman’s right forearm revealed in new scans. Credit: Daniel Riday

Related Articles

Carvings at Göbeklitepe could be World’s Oldest Calendar

6 August 2024

6 August 2024

Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest...

Egyptian archaeologists found 110 ancient tombs in the Nile Delta

28 April 2021

28 April 2021

The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced Tuesday that Egyptian archaeologists had discovered 110 burial tombs on the Nile Delta dating...

Research Uncovers the Parthenon’s Spectacular Lighting Effects for Athena in Antiquity

9 May 2025

9 May 2025

A four-year multidisciplinary study led by Oxford University Archaeologist Professor Juan de Lara has shed new light on a millennia-old...

400-year historical document confirms the martyrdom of Japanese Christians

27 February 2021

27 February 2021

In Japan, the suppression of Christianity increased from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th...

1.5 tons of bronze coins found in east China

19 December 2022

19 December 2022

An ancient coin hoard containing 1.5 tonnes of coins from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties has been discovered...

A Colonnaded Hall with Extraordinary Frescoes of Still Life Found in Pompeii

27 December 2024

27 December 2024

Archaeologists in the famous ancient Roman city of Pompeii, one of the world’s most iconic archaeological sites, have revealed extraordinary...

4,000-Year-Old Lion Jaw Bone Unearthed in Kültepe

14 September 2021

14 September 2021

Excavations continue in Kültepe, the starting point of Anatolian written history. During the excavations, a 4,000-year-old lion jawbone was unearthed....

A 2,000-year-old Roman grave belonging to soldier Flaccus unearthed in Netherlands

9 December 2024

9 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old grave from the Roman settlement in Heerlen, Netherlands. The latest analysis has shown that it...

A 2900-year-old collection of fossilized shark teeth found in the City of David, one of Jerusalem’s oldest Parts

5 July 2021

5 July 2021

Scientists discovered an inexplicable collection of fossilized shark teeth at a 2900-year-old archaeological site in Jerusalem’s City of David, one...

Researchers Say that Neanderthals Had the Same Hearing Capacity as Humans

1 March 2021

1 March 2021

Virtual reconstructions of Neanderthal ears show that had the same physical capacity for hearing as modern humans, and by inference...

Secrets of the Skull Room: 12 Ancient Human Skulls Unearthed in Sefertepe Excavations

16 September 2025

16 September 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered 12 new human skulls during ongoing excavations at Sefertepe, one of the most important sites of the...

Discoveries on the island of Minorca shed light on the history of Roman conquests in the Balearic Islands

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

The University of Alicante Institute for Archeology and Historical Heritage (INAPH) Researchs discovered a collection of buried Roman antiquities going...

A Sunken Port Beneath the Red Sea May Have Reshaped the Map of Human Migration Out of Africa 20,000 Years Ago

26 July 2025

26 July 2025

New research suggests an ancient trade hub lies beneath Egypt’s Red Sea coast—offering clues to how early civilizations connected Africa...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

Prehistoric Cave Art Handprints With Missing Fingertips Point to Ritual Amputation

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

Researchers who examined prehistoric cave art in France and Spain, a new interpretation of Paleolithic cave art proposes that prehistoric...