You can also read this article in Turkish. Antik Sibirya Buz Mumyası, 2.500 Yıllık Muhteşem Dövmelerini Ortaya Çıkardı

New imaging has unveiled remarkably detailed tattoos on a 2,500-year-old Siberian “ice mummy,” offering rare insight into the artistry and culture of the Pazyryk people, nomadic horse-riders who once roamed the vast steppe between Europe and China.

The mummy, a woman aged about 50, was buried in an ice tomb in the Altai Mountains. Using near-infrared photography at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, researchers produced high-resolution scans of her tattoos—images that had long been invisible to the naked eye.

The designs include leopards circling a deer, a stag, a rooster on her thumb, and a griffin-like creature locked in combat. According to lead researcher Dr. Gino Caspari of the Max Planck Institute, the tattoos show “crisp and uniform” detail that rivals the sophistication of modern tattooists.

To understand how these images were created, archaeologists collaborated with tattooist-researcher Daniel Riday, who recreates ancient designs on his own body. His analysis suggests the tattoos were first stencilled, then applied with horn or bone needles using pigments made from soot or plant material. The process could take many hours, requiring both technical skill and medical knowledge.

The differing quality between the woman’s arms suggests that more than one tattooist worked on her body. While some motifs reflect Pazyryk culture’s fascination with dynamic animal combat scenes, others, like the rooster, stand out as personal or unique.

Some tattoos were cut or damaged during burial preparation, leading researchers to conclude that body art was primarily meaningful in life, rather than intended for the afterlife.

“These images bring us closer to the people behind the art,” says Dr. Caspari. “They show that even 2,500 years ago, tattooing was a highly professional practice requiring time, dedication, and expertise.”