The intriguing history of tattoos: the first tattoos, most tattooed people, and more!

Over 5,300 years ago, a young Egyptian woman endured the sharp tapping of a metal ‘prick point’ as someone tattooed dark blue figures across her right shoulder and arm. Four vertical S-shaped motifs adorned her upper shoulder, while a crooked line snaked down her arm. 

The markings would have been clearly visible – tattooing was not uncommon at the time for women, and her art must have had some significance to her. But these ‘simple’ tattoos would provide historians with new bodily evidence for one of humanity’s oldest decorative arts.

Centuries after her death, that same woman was unearthed from her shallow sand grave outside the town of Gebelein and brought back to the British Museum for display, where she remained for over 100 years. But it wasn’t until recent conservation efforts that scientists discovered the artwork across her body (now dubbed the Gebelein Woman) and the Gebelein Man, two mummies found buried near each other, as part of a six-body recovery process in the late 19th century. 

Using infrared scanning technology, scientists were able to identify distinct markings on the mummies’ skin – discovering the oldest-known figural tattoos on record, and moving the timeline for such body art back by about 1,000 years. The Gebelein Woman also became the oldest female mummy on record to have tattoos, awarding her the title of first tattooed female.

They published their research in the Journal of Archeological Science in 2018, determining that the Gebelein Man’s tattoos show the designs of a wild bull and a sheep, symbolizing power or strength – and their discovery contradicts the view that only women wore tattoos in ancient Egypt.

The Gebelein Woman’s four S-shaped tattoos perhaps depict sticks or batons used in ritual dance, while the longer S tattoo potentially represents a “crooked stave” to show power or status. That very S symbol was also found in predynastic pottery, suggesting it has connective or emphasizing elements. 

“With this function in mind,” the study authors wrote, “the two tattoos found on Gebelein Woman could be viewed as a group possibly emphasizing ceremonial or ritual activities undertaken by, or on behalf of, the bearer.” The Smithsonian also notes that the locations of the tattoos would have made them very visible, and the researchers think that the markings may have denoted magical or cult knowledge.

But some scholars push back on the idea that women were only marked for figurative or sexual purposes, saying the tattoos might have held spiritual or therapeutic value. Female mummies and other figurines were found with dotted tattoos running horizontally across the abdomen and thighs, suggesting the skin would act as a protective ‘net’ during childbirth. 

 “I personally believe that the tattooing of ancient Egyptian women had a therapeutic role and functioned as a permanent form of amulet – [an ornament meant to protect its wearer] – during the very difficult time of pregnancy and birth,” said Dr. Joann Fletcher, Egyptologist and an honorary visiting professor in the department of archaeology at the University of York.

“This is supported by the pattern of distribution, largely around the abdomen, on top of the thighs and the breasts, and would also explain the specific types of designs, in particular the net-like distribution of dots applied over the abdomen. During pregnancy, this specific pattern would expand in a protective fashion in the same way bead nets were placed over wrapped mummies to protect them and ‘keep everything in’,” she said. 

“The placing of small figures of the household deity Bes at the tops of their thighs would again suggest the use of tattoos as a means of safeguarding the actual birth, since Bes was the protector of women in labor, and his position at the tops of the thighs a suitable location.

“This would ultimately explain tattoos as a purely female custom.”

In fact, the ancient Egyptians weren’t even the only ones to get tattooed – historians found evidence of the practice of tattooing developing independently in different regions and cultures around the world. 

Perhaps the most famous example is Ӧtzi, dubbed the Iceman, a natural mummy who died around 5,300 years ago and was recently discovered in the Italian-Austrian Alps with the oldest tattoos. 61 markings appear across his body in parallel lines, and scientists suspect they were done for therapeutic purposes – similar to acupuncture, but completed 2,000 years before the first-recorded use of the practice in China – the tattoos appear along pressure points on his body, notably where there were signs of previous injuries or illnesses. 

Recreation of what Ӧtzi might have looked like. Image: WFranz / Pixabay

Other cultures around the world also practiced the art for a variety of reasons, such as: the Nubians and the Libyans in Africa, the Scythian Pazyryk from the Altai Mountains in Siberia, the ancient Britons and the Romans before the introduction of Christianity, cultures in pre-Columbian Peru and Chile, native North America communities including the Inuit, ancient China and Japan, and across Polynesia. 

And like some of us today, they used tattoos to demonstrate social status, represent significant events/objects/symbols, express their personality, and to get relief under the needle. Many of these traditional practices are still in use, such as in the Maori culture of New Zealand, or the Berber women of Algeria. 

“In many cases, [tattooing] seems to have sprung up independently as a permanent way to place protective or therapeutic symbols upon the body, then as a means of marking people out into appropriate social, political or religious groups, or simply as a form of self-expression or fashion statement,” said Dr. Fletcher.

“Yet, as in so many other areas of adornment, there was of course cross-cultural influences, such as those which existed between the Egyptians and Nubians, the Thracians and Greeks and the many cultures encountered by Roman soldiers during the expansion of the Roman Empire in the final centuries B.C.E. and the first centuries C.E.. And, certainly, Polynesian culture is thought to have influenced Maori tattoos.”

Nowadays, 32% of Americans have at least one tattoo – and a study revealed that the reasons they do so are remarkably similar to why our ancestors marked their bodies generations ago. 69% say they got inked to “honour or remember someone or something”, while 47% say they wanted to make a statement about their beliefs, and 32% say they got tattooed to improve their personal appearance.

And those who get tattoos come in all shapes and sizes – the oldest person to receive their first tattoo (male) is Jack Reynolds, who got inked at age 106 in Chesterfield, UK:

On the other side of the world, American Charlotte Guttenberg holds the title for most tattooed senior citizen (female), with 98.75% of her body inked. She lives in Melbourne, Florida and was the partner of the late Charles “Chuck” Helmke, who held the title for most tattooed senior citizen living (male), for his mind-blowing art which covered 97.5% of his body.

Meanwhile Esperance Fuerzina (USA) and Lucky Diamond Rich (Aboriginal Australian, Quandamooka People of North Stradbroke Island, b. New Zealand) easily took home the titles for most tattooed person ever (female) and most tattooed person ever (male) for their incredible body art, which covers 99.98% and 100% of their skin, respectively.

“This feels like a complete expression of myself,” said Esperance in an interview with Guinness World Records.

So to those that say tattoos don’t look well when you age – you can take the Gebelein woman, or these incredible recordholders, as an example for how creatively you can express your body with ink.

Header image of sarcophagus: DenisDoukhan / pixabay