• Iceman’s tattoos are largely seen on body parts that endured wear-and-tear
• In total, 61 tattoos have been found grouped across 19 of Ötzi’s body parts
• Experts used a modified camera to scan the ancient hunter’s body
• They found a group of tattoos on the lower right of Ötzi’s thoracic
• This is the first markings found on the front of the 5,300-year-old’s torso
• Experts previous thought etchings were a primitive form of acupuncture
• But the latest tattoo casts doubt on this because it is not situated by a joint
It’s been almost 24 years since the body of Ötzi the iceman was unearthed, yet scientists are still discovering secrets about the 5,300-year-old mummy.
Using a modified camera, designed to capture a range of wavelengths, experts have spotted a previously unseen tattoo on the ancient specimen.
The markings were spotted near the ribcage on the lower right side of the body, and they are the first etchings found on the front of the torso.
In total, the ancient hunter has 61 tattoos grouped across 19 body parts, which the archaeologists previously thought were used as a primitive form of acupuncture.
However, they claim the new tattoo may contradict this theory.
The team have mapped these tattoos in the Elsevier Journal of Culture Heritage.
The recent scans of Ötzi’s body were taken by Marco Samadelli, Marcello Melis, Matteo Miccoli, Eduard Vigl, and Albert Zink from the European Academy of Bozen Institute for Mummies and the Iceman and the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.
They used a 36MP Nikon D800 camera fitted with filters that captured wavelengths, including ultraviolet, visible and infrared.
Using this camera, they found linear ink markings across the body, ranging from between 1mm (0.03 inches) and 3mm (0.1 inches) thick and between 7mm (0.2 inches) and 40mm (1.5 inches) long.
The majority of the tattoos consist of lines running parallel to each other, between 2mm (0.07 inches) and 8mm (0.3 inches) apart.
In two locations, however, including the right knee and left ankle, these lines form a cross.
THE ICEMAN’S TATTOOS
The recent scans of Ötzi’s body were taken by Marco Samadelli, Marcello Melis, Matteo Miccoli, Eduard Vigl, and Albert Zink from the European Academy of Bozen Institute for Mummies and the Iceman and the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.
They used a 36MP Nikon D800 camera fitted with filters that captured wavelengths including ultraviolet, visible and infrared.
Using this camera, they found linear ink markings, ranging from between 1mm (0.03 inches) and 3mm (0.1 inches) thick and between 7mm (0.2 inches) and 40mm (1.5 inches) long.
The majority of the tattoos consist of lines running parallel to each other, between 2mm (0.07 inches) and 8mm (0.3 inches) apart.
In two locations, however, including the right knee and left ankle, these lines form a cross.
The right leg has seven groups of tattoos, the left leg has four, and visible tattoos are also found on the back of the lumbar region.
The longest tattoos are around the wrist of the left hand, and many of these have been documented previously.
However, using the modified camera, the researchers found a previously unseen group of tattoos that is barely visible.
This tattoo was found in the lower thoracic, and shows four parallel lines varying from 20mm (0.7 inches) to 25 mm (0.9 inches).
The right leg has seven groups of tattoos, the left leg has four, and visible tattoos are also found on the back of the lumbar region.
The longest tattoos are around the wrist of the left hand, and many of these have been documented before.
However, using the modified camera, the researchers also found a previously unseen group of tattoos that is barely visible to the naked eye.
This tattoo was found in the right lower thoracic, and shows four parallel lines of length varying from 20mm (0.7 inches) to 25 mm (0.9 inches).
‘This is of particular interest, as this represents the first tattoo that was detected on the iceman’s frontal part of the torso,’ explained the researchers.
The ice man’s tattoos are largely seen on parts of the body that endured wear-and-tear, causing archaeologists to liken the practice to acupuncture.
Radiological images of the tattooed areas of the mummy show degenerative areas under the tattoos that could have caused pain.
‘In previous work on the tattoos of the iceman it was mainly believed that their application was done as a kind of treatment or diagnosis of health problems, in particular lower back pain and degenerative joint disease of his knees, ankle and wrist,’ continued the experts.
‘The conclusion was drawn because basically all tattoos were located in morphological areas close to the underlying spine and joints, where degenerations have been identified based on earlier radiological studies.’
But, the newly identified tattoo is not located close to a joint, which has led them to question this theory.
When the mummy was first studied, experts were shocked at Ötzi’s tattooed skin as they had never seen real examples of Copper Age tattoos before.
They were also surprised as it is popularly thought that acupuncture was invented more than 2,000 years later in Asia.
WHO WAS ÖTZI?
The 5,300-year-old ‘ice mummy’ known as Ötzi suffered from the world’s first-known case of Lyme disease, a bacterial parasite spread by ticks, according to DNA analysis.
Ötzi, who was 46 at the time of his death and measured 5ft 2inches, had brown eyes, relatives in Sardinia, and was lactose intolerant.
Ötzi was also predisposed to heart disease.
Recent research focused on the DNA in the nuclei of Ötzi’s cells, and it could yield further insights into the famous ice mummy’s life.
Ötzi was unearthed in September 1991 by German tourists trekking through the Oetz Valley, after which he was named.
Researchers examining the contents of his stomach worked out that his final meal consisted of venison and ibex meat.
Archaeologists believe Ötzi, who was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows and a copper axe, may have been a hunter or warrior killed in a skirmish with a rival tribe.
Researchers say he was about 159cm tall (5ft 2.5in), 46 years old, arthritic and infested with whipworm – an intestinal parasite.
His perfectly preserved body is stored in his own specially designed cold storage chamber at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Italy at a constant temperature of -6°C. Visitors can view the mummy through a small window.
Alongside his remains is a new Ötzi model created using 3D images of the corpse and forensic technology by two Dutch artists – Alfons and Adrie Kennis.
Ötzi got his tattoos by enduring a series of small incisions in his skin, which were then rubbed with charcoal to make the marks.
Professor Frank Rühli, head of the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich, told MailOnline the tattoos were probably a combination of decorative art and therapy.
Archaeologists believe that judging by the clothing, tools and weapons found with the mummy frozen in the Alps on the Austrian, Italian border two decades ago, Ötzi was a herder or a chieftain in Copper Age Europe.
Professor Rühli said that while there might be a connection to suggest the tattoos functioned as a form of ancient acupuncture, it is difficult to see which ailments the mummy suffered from, so an indication of the marks being therapeutic is ‘likely’ but cannot be proven as there are not a number of similar bodies to study, found in the same location that are the same age.
But, the Italian researchers aren’t ruling out that the new tattoo may have been used to treat pain as well.
‘It is known from previous studies that the iceman suffered from other pathological conditions that could have also caused pain in the chest area, such as gallbladder stones, whipworms in his colon and atherosclerosis.
‘Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the iceman’s tattoos were indeed applied as a therapeutic treatment.’
The researchers now want to carry out further research into this tattoo and its relation to acupuncture points.
Source: Daily Mail
