What figurative Tatto is
Tatto is a permanent mark or design that is made on the skin. It is executed through a process of pricking and engraining an indelible pigment or by raising scars. Sometimes, a temporary dye is also used. When any kind of figure is used to be portraited as a tattoo, that is known as a figurative tattoo.
The practice of Tattoos in Ancient Egypt
Tattoos were practice in ancient Egyptian society. Egypt has the longest known history of tattooing in the world covering a period of at least 4000 years. But strangely, there is very little mention of tattooing ancient Egyptian written records. Although, there are some iconographic and physical shreds of evidence demarcated by researchers, which are thought to be the indication the of the practice of tattooing in ancient Egypt.
Gebelien Mummies
Over a century ago, two mummies of a man & a woman were recovered from two shallow graves in Gebelein, south of Luxor in Egypt. These two mummies, at the initial stage of their discovery, seemed to be very ordinary due to their poorly conserved mummification technique. But recent evidence place them at a significant position in ancient Egyptian history.
These two mummies are presently in the collection of British Museum in London and known as ‘Gebelien Mummies’ . The Gebelien mummies were dated back to the period between 3351 – 3017 BCE.
Discovery of Figurative Tattoos
Recently, in the early phase of 2018, researchers in the U.K applied an infrared scan on these two mummies and this experiment led to a great discovery. Previously, any initiative was not taken to understand why the arms of these two mummies were coloured very dark! Yes, it was because of tattoos.
The infrared scan revealed, perhaps, the oldest practice of tattoos in the ancient world. A tattoo of a wild bull & a Barbary sheep was found on the upper arm of the male mummy. In the case of the female mummy, she has S-shaped designs & linear motifs on her shoulder & upper arm.
Importance of the Discovery
This recent discovery bears great importance not only in the history of tattoo practicing tattooing in ancient Egypt but also in the ancient world. Because of this discovery, the antiquity of practicing tattooing goes back to at least 5000 years ago which is till now the oldest known date in the history of Egypt as well as the whole ancient world.
Previously, only women were thought to apply tattoos on their body. But with this fresh evidence, the application of tattoos in the male body has also been established.
Tattoos of the Female Mummy
According to the researchers, the symbols of S-shaped designs & linear motifs on the body of the female mummy may symbolize status, courage, magic etc. Apart from this, it is the example of the oldest tattooed female ever discovered. The linear motifs on the female body show similarities to objects held by figures on ancient Egyptian ceramics.
Tattoos on the Male Mummy
According to the researchers, the male mummy died between 18 & 21 years of age from a stab wound to his back. The tattoo of wild bull & Barbary sheep tattoo on his body may represent the symbol of power or strength. These two designs are well known in ancient Egyptian art.
