Advanced imaging technology has uncovered remarkably detailed tattoos on an ancient Siberian mummy, revealing sophisticated artistry that would challenge contemporary tattoo artists.
Scientists employed near-infrared digital photography to examine the 2,500-year-old remains of a woman from the nomadic Pazyryk culture, discovering decorations previously invisible to the naked eye.
The high-resolution scans exposed "intricate, crisp and uniform" tattooing featuring complex designs of animals and mythical beings.
"The insights really drive home to me the point of how sophisticated these people were," Dr Gino Caspari from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern told BBC News.
The decorated body belonged to a woman of approximately 50 years who lived among the horse-riding peoples inhabiting the expansive steppes connecting China and Europe.
Her right forearm displayed leopards encircling a deer's head, whilst the left arm featured a griffin - a legendary beast combining a lion's body with an eagle's head and wings - engaged in combat with a stag.
"Twisted hind bodies and really intense battle scenes of wild animals are typical of the culture," Caspari explained.
A rooster adorned her thumb, demonstrating "an intriguing style with a certain uniqueness," according to Caspari.
G CASPARI AND M VAVULIN
|Scans of the skin revealed details of animals and birds
The discoveries emerged from examinations conducted at Russia's Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
Researchers collaborated with Daniel Riday, a specialist who recreates historical tattoo designs using ancient methods, to analyse the techniques employed.
Their examination suggested varying quality between the woman's arms, indicating either multiple artists or inconsistent execution.
"If I was guessing, it was probably four and a half hours for the lower half of the right arm, and another five hours for the upper part," Riday estimated.
The team determined that designs were likely stencilled before application, using multi-pointed implements fashioned from animal horn or bone alongside single-point needles.
Pigments were probably derived from charred plant matter or soot, the researchers concluded.
The ancient practice demanded considerable endurance and expertise, Riday observed: "That's a solid commitment from the person. Imagine sitting on the ground in the steppe where there's wind blowing all that time."
He emphasised the skill required: "It would need to be performed by a person who knows health and safety, who knows the risks of what happens when the skin is punctured."
The Pazyryk lived in the Altay mountains
"This made me feel like we were much closer to seeing the people behind the art, how they worked and learned. The images came alive," Dr Caspari reflected.
Evidence of cuts or damage to some tattoos during burial preparation indicates these decorations served primarily as expressions for the living rather than afterlife symbolism, the researchers noted.