Lasers are commonly used to remove tattoos from the skin, but results are mixed. These thin beams of light can also reveal the ink that once adorned the skin of a 1,200-year-old mummy. An international team of researchers has used newly developed laser technology to identify intricate tattoo designs on mummified human remains dating back to Peru’s Chancay culture. For more information on the survey results, please visit The study was published on January 13 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Humorous pottery and intricate tattoos
of Chancay culture A pre-Hispanic civilization that lived in the coastal valleys of present-day Peru from approximately 1000 to 1470 AD. When this larger and more powerful group expanded into the lands of Chancay, it is believed that they were absorbed into the Inca Empire.
Chancay pottery There is nothing particularly decorative, and most of the crafts are simple colored pieces, black on white. Some Chancay ships too. draw humorous scenes. Like the Incas, ancient egyptians and some culture from europethe Chancay practiced both skin tattooing and mummification, which preserved ink on the body. These tattoos seem to be surprisingly more intricate than the designs found on pottery.
Mummy meets laser
in study, The research team used a new technique called , which was originally developed to study dinosaur fossils. laser excited fluorescence (LSF).
“Our imaging work involved scanning a laser line back and forth over mummified human remains in a dark room.” michael pitmansaid study co-author and archaeologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. popular science. “This caused the cadaver’s skin to glow in the dark, vividly backlighting the hidden details of the original tattoo.”
LSF was developed by Pittman and co-authors of the study Thomas G. Kay from Foundation for Scientific Advancement In Arizona. When I applied it to the tattooed and mummified skin, I could see very fine line tattoos with incredibly narrow details. Tattoos depict intricate shapes and geometric patterns. Pittman said some of the tattoos included in the study even exceed the artistic precision seen in known examples of Chancay pottery, textiles and rock art.
“What struck us most was how detailed Chancay’s tattoos were,” Pittman says. “The level of skill and effort required of Chancay artists is truly astonishing, as the 0.1 to 0.2 millimeter lines we found are thinner than anything that can be created with a standard #12 modern tattoo needle. I did.”
[ Related: 1,000-year-old mummy with full head of hair and intact jaw found in Peru. ]
unknown symbolism
While this study expands scientific understanding of Chancay’s artistic expression, it also raises larger questions about the role of tattoos. these markings May have been used as a status symbol or spiritual symbol.
“While the significance of the tattoos we studied is still being actively researched, the revelation of unexpectedly detailed tattoos like this suggests that the Chankay people designed and created specific tattoos. “It shows that they made a special effort to achieve this, and suggests that the significance of their tattoos was probably different,” says Pittman. .
Applying this laser technology to other ancient mummified remains around the world may yield more insights. ancient tattoo art.
“We plan to use this new technology to image other ancient tattoos around the world. Because we believe in breaking new ground,” says Pittman.
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