2,500-year-old Siberian ‘ice mummy’ had intricate tattoos, imaging reveals

High‑resolution imaging of a 2,500‑year‑old Siberian “ice mummy” has revealed highly intricate tattoos that modern tattooists would find difficult to replicate. The tattoos—featuring leopards, a stag, a rooster, and a mythical griffin—were found on a woman from the Pazyryk culture, a nomadic warrior people of the Eurasian steppe. Using near‑infrared scans, researchers discovered crisp, detailed designs likely created with animal bone or horn tools and soot‑based pigment. The study suggests tattooing was a skilled, professional practice with cultural significance in life but little role in death, the BBC has reported. The findings were published in the journal Antiquity.