Egyptian mummy with mysterious tattoos has puzzled scientists

In one of the Egyptian villages, called Deir el-Medina, modern archaeologists managed to find the body of a woman, whose body was richly decorated with tattoos with a religious touch. The find was announced publicly at a meeting of anthropologists at Stanford.

Nature magazine reproduced on its pages the words of Anne Austin from Stanford University (USA), who said that tattooing in those days was the most painful, and in order to apply more than 30 tattoos, she had to endure incredible torment. Ann was able to find only one explanation for this act – deep religiosity and the importance of drawings on the body..

Egyptian mummy with mysterious tattoos puzzled scientists – photo 2

It is worth noting that some of the oldest tattoos were discovered by chance, during the process of studying mummies by French scientists, which were buried in the period from 1300-1070 BC. and were discovered in the 19th century in the “Valley of the Kings”.

What tattoos does a mummy have and what they meant for Egypt?

The woman’s body, which Ann had a chance to examine, was almost completely destroyed by time, and it was not so easy to find a tattoo on it. Ann noticed strange bands in the neck, which she decided to investigate with an infrared lamp. Research has confirmed that the lines were part of a tattoo that was applied under the skin while still alive. Further, about 30 tattoo designs were found on the woman’s body in different places..

The shoulders of the mummy were decorated with drawings of baboons, the arms were decorated with cows, and in the intimate area, near the hips, there were lotus flowers..

Egyptian Mummy with Mysterious Tattoos – Drawings:

In the area of ​​the neck, shoulder and neck, various variants of the “uajits” – “the eyes of Horus” were applied. The drawing with the “eye of Horus” was used as a talisman and was applied not only to the body, but also to jewelry and household items..

Egyptian mummy with mysterious tattoos puzzled scientists – photo 1

It was noted at the conference that such tattoos were found for the first time and it is impossible to establish for certain their meaning and the role of this woman in society..

Austin believes that the tattoos of this woman speak exclusively of her social status, the scientist suggests that the woman was a priestess.

Scientists are planning a series of studies aimed at studying mummies found in the 19th century in order to find new tattoos..