Advanced laser scans have uncovered strange tattoos on thousand-year-old Peruvian mummies.
Archaeologists say the highly detailed tattoos were made with 'special effort' around 1,200 years ago likely using cactus needles or sharpened animal bones.
Interestingly, after studying the intricate designs, the researchers found evidence of a long history of tattooing in pre-Hispanic South America.
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Seemingly, these mummified individuals are from the pre-Columbian Chancay culture, which developed along coastal Peru between 900AD and 1533AD.
With the tattoo ink fading over time and the mummification process making the designs even harder to see, the team needed to use high-tech equipment.
"Historically, infrared imaging has been used to visualize tattoos with good results on barely visible or completely invisible marks. However, it has been traditionally more difficult to uncover sharp original decoration details in tattoos," the researchers wrote in the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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"Laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) offers a potential solution to this analytical gap because it produces images using fluorescence coming from within target objects."
In doing so, the scientists were able to contrast the black tattoo ink against the skin by making it glow. This nearly eliminated the effects of ink bleed and revealed the intricate patterns that were previously invisible.
The Chancay culture was 'a small state that could mass produce goods and achieved trade relations with regional cultures, later absorbed by the Inca Empire,' researchers described.
Over 100 mummies were inspected with four remains displaying 'exceptional tattoos,' involving geometric shapes like triangles and diamonds.
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“Each ink dot was placed deliberately by hand with great skill, creating a variety of exquisite geometric and zoomorphic patterns,” the researchers explained.
According to the team, the tattoos were so detailed and precise, that they surpassed the contemporary art of Chancay’s pottery and textiles.
What’s interesting is that not all the mummies studied had tattoos which could mean they were only for certain people or purposes in Chancay society.
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However, future analysis of new mummy discoveries would be needed to test this theory.
“The study therefore reveals higher levels of artistic complexity in pre-Columbian Peru than previously appreciated, which expands the degree of artistic development found in South America at this time,” they continued.
The scientists hope the LSF techniques will lead to improved analysis of tattoos on mummies from other ancient cultures - and paint a picture of tattooing methods across the world and throughout time.
"This permitted us to add further knowledge to pre-Columbian artistic development in South America as well as improve on existing practices of ancient tattoo investigation," the paper concluded.