AIA Archaeology Hour | Ancient Ink: Discovering the Tattooed Women of Ancient Egypt
On Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. EST, I watched the latest installment of AIA Archaeology Hour, a webinar series hosted by the Archaeological Institute of America. Dr. Anne Austin, who teaches of anthropology and archaeology in the History Department at the University of Missouri—St. Louis and works as a bioarchaeologist at Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale [French Institute of Oriental Archeology], presented her talk Ancient Ink: Discovering the Tattooed Women of Ancient Egypt. Her presentation focused on tattoos on mummies found at Deir el-Medina, a village for workers in Ancient Egypt who built the infamous Valley of the Gods. Dr. Ulrike Krotscheck, who leads the Puget Sound chapter of AIA and works as a professor of archaeology at Evergreen State College, moderated the event.
Dr. Austin began the talk by explaining how archaeology is currently in “the golden age for finding evidence of tattooing in archaeological contexts… [with] more publications worldwide in the past 10 years than the entire 20th century combined.” Modern technology like infrared photography and multispectral imaging allow researchers to find tattoos and enhance images. Studying human remains is the best way for researchers to learn more about tattooing in Ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphic texts do not describe the process, while tattooing needles are difficult to unearth.
Some Ancient Egyptian mummies have tattoos. These remains tended to be women. Throughout the 20th century, male archaeologists speculated that these women were of low status with questionable morals. They viewed the remains in terms of modern Western ideals, where high status women did not have tattoos. Dr. Austin argued that these men “willfully ignored the actual evidence that’s been uncovered so far”, since these tattooed women were buried in an area reserved for skilled laborers of semi-elite status.
The men’s misinterpretation of these tattoos was not surprising. Dr. Austin noted that American perspectives on tattoos have shifted greatly between the 19th century to the present day. She cited the story of Olive Oatman, a woman abducted by Yavapai and Mojave Native Americans, then tattooed on her chin to be adopted into the community. Other American women, like Irene Woodward and Betty Broadbent, made their living from their tattoos. They worked at exhibitions or in circuses, putting their body art on display. Historian Margaret Mifflin further described their stories in Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo, first published in 1997 by Powerhouse Books.
The Ancient Egyptians lived at a time when many of their neighbors had tattoos. Dr. Aaron Deter-Wolf cataloged such human remains from Nubian, Libyan, and Egyptian cemeteries in his “Tattooed Human Mummies Database”. This list includes Gebelein Man, a Pre-Dynastic person currently on display at the British Museum. Dr. Renée Friedman, an American Egyptologist who leads the excavation of Hierakonpolis, recently published an article including an infrared image of a tattoo depicting a barbary sheep found on the body of Gebelein Man. This discovery “pushed back tattooing in Egypt thousands of years” and proved that tattooing was an independent Egyptian craft, not just copied from the Nubians.
Dr. Austin refocused on the three Egyptian women to describe the symbolism of their tattoos. Women used motifs such as the ibex, floral bouquets, marshes, the goddess Hathor, and the god Bes. These all served as symbols of fertility, childbirth, and motherhood. Tattoos were found on the arms, legs, and lower back of the women. To verify her findings, Dr. Austin turned to art. She found similar designs as graffiti on the floor of the temple near where the women were buried. Paintings and figurines depicted women with tattoos in the same design and location as found on the bodies.
During the Q&A, Dr. Austin answered a myriad of questions on archaeology and Egyptology. She explained that only non-destructive testing was conducted on remains, so scientists cannot determine the exact chemical composition of the tattoo ink. However, she believed a carbon-based ink made of charcoal was the most likely choice. Human milk and saliva were sometimes added to the ink for magical protection. She noted that the tattooed women were likely literate, as wealthier women sent letters to each other. In addition to unusually high literacy levels, the settlement of Deir el-Medina possibly had more tattoos per capita than other areas, as these people worked as artists. The love of tattooing is still seen to day in the Coptic tradition, as Egyptian Christians often tattoo a small cross on their wrist.
This talk had an ideal balance of ancient history, modern history, photographs, and diagrams. Dr. Austin perfectly paced her presentation, and Dr. Krotscheck skillfully managed the Q&A. The availability of closed captions, live transcription, and an ASL interpreter made the event more accessible. I enjoyed learning about a field that I had previously never considered, and I look forward to the next AIA event.
Watch the full talk here: