Shining a laser on a mummy reveals intricate ancient tattoos

Laser scanning of South American mummies has revealed the intricate details of tattoos dating back more than 1,200 years.

The mummy, belonging to a pre-Hispanic tribe known as the Chancay people, was discovered in 1981 at the Cerro Colorado cemetery in Peru’s Huaura Valley.

It was obvious to the naked eye that many of the 100 mummies were tattooed, but the ink had smeared and faded beyond the boundaries of the original design, making it impossible to see what the original markings looked like. It was impossible.

In the new study, Michael Pittman and his colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong shined a laser on specimens in a dark room and took long-exposure photographs. The laser brightened the skin and created a sharp contrast with the non-fluorescent tattoo ink.

This technique, which does not damage mummies, has never been used for tattoos before. Importantly, Pittman says, it shows not only where the ink is on the surface, but also where it is in the deeper layers of the skin.

“This allowed us to see the bleeding that had accumulated over the tattoo owner’s lifetime, revealing the tattoo’s original, finer design,” he says.

Researchers say the tattoo is so minute that it must have been created using a needle-and-ink technique using cactus needles or sharp animal bones, rather than a “cut-and-fill” method. That’s what I think.

Tattoos appear to have been important to the Chancay people, Pittman said, as they appear on the majority of known mummified human remains.

“Many geometric designs featuring triangles and diamonds are also shared in other art mediums such as pottery and textiles, and some ceramic figures show geometric tattoo designs. “There are things,” he says.

Some tattoos have intricate designs that seem to require special effort, while others are small and simple. “Thus, ancient Chancay tattoos show some similarities with the variations in design and significance that can be observed in tattoos today,” Pittman says.

Pittman says many traditional tattoos created by other ancient peoples can also be viewed in detail using laser-induced fluorescence technology. “We therefore plan to apply this method to other ancient tattoos from cultures around the world and try to make other interesting discoveries,” he says.