61 tattoos were found on the mummy otzi band

Recently researchers have discovered a cluster of new tattoos on the mummy chest of the Otzi gang, famous for being one of the most mysterious natural mummies in human history.

Anthropologists have mapped ink on the remains of 5,300 years of mummies, using a new photographic technique, discovering previously unknown tattoos. With this investigation, researchers hope to finally be able to answer questions about the meaning of tattoos.

Researchers have identified all 61 tattoos on a 5,300-year-old mummy who was discovered in a glacier in 1991.

On September 19, 1991, while searching for a way through the Otztal Alps, two German climbers discovered a mummy preserved intact in the ice - this is considered a mummy dating back. The oldest in Europe. Since then, researchers have rigorously analyzed mummies to paint a picture of life in the early Bronze Age about 5,300 years ago. Researchers have discovered that the Otzi bandages suffer from a series of degenerative diseases and eventually die of wounds caused by an arrow on their shoulders. However, unusual tattoos on the mummy's body are still a great mystery to be solved.

The original study found that there were about 49-57 tattoos, eventually increasing to 59. The number of tattoos discovered changed over time as tattoos were difficult to identify. For 5,300-year-old mummies, the skin has been heavily influenced by the weather and has been much worse. At that time, tattoos could be created by puncturing the top layer of skin and rubbing it into coal.

The map shows the location of 19 tattoo clusters on the mummy of the Otzi gang

In order to increase contrast, researchers have recently used multi-spectral imaging techniques to detect color differences in the skin - even in invisible areas with the naked eye. This adds to the contrast on the ice's body, and discovers a set of previously undiscovered chest tattoos, bringing the total number of final tattoos to 61. Researchers have announced discovery. Their this week in the Journal of Cultural Heritage.

Iceman's 61 tattoos are organized into 19 different groups. Each tattoo group is simply a set of vertical or horizontal lines. It is believed that tattoos serve a purpose of healing or diagnosing ice diseases, because groups of tattoos tend to bunch around the waist and joints - where the ice has degenerated joints and spine. .

Close-up of tattoos on mummy Otzi bandages

Tattoos can aim to demarcate body areas for acupuncture treatments, or maybe these tattoos are a way to heal. However, the researchers discovered a cluster of tattoos on the ice of the ice, where there was no sign of a disease. This newly discovered tattoo group challenges current theories about the purpose of a tattoo on a human body to heal. But the researchers also quickly pointed out that ice men may have other health problems that cause pain in the chest area but are not shown in the leftover mummy.

Finally, it is still possible that all of these assumptions about the meaning of tattoos are wrong, and that these tattoos have completely different symbolic meanings. This is still a question waiting for answers from future researchers.