Egyptian Tattoos: History of Tattoos from Ancient Egypt

Last month, I wrote a detailed post about tattoo history. It covered many different points of the tattoo timeline from Otzi the Iceman through the Sailor Jerry era. Today, I wanted to share some information about Egyptian tattooing and how it entered the archaeological record. 

Tattoos in Ancient Egypt

Evidence of tattoos in ancient Egypt were found on a well-preserved female mummy from Thebes known as Amunet. She was a priestess of the goddess Hathor of Thebes (she symbolized the cosmic mother who gave life to all on earth) during the Dynasty XI and was excavated in 1891 by Eugene Grebaut.
 
AmunetWhen Amunet was found, all of the surrounding tombs had been pillaged, but buried within the Pharaoh’s mortuary temple precinct, in a triangular court in the north corner, was hers. Amunet's wore many collars and necklaces, and her body was tattooed. Because she was probably a concubine, as well as Hathor's priestess, her bandages were marked with the names of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt; Mentuhotep, the Son of Re; as well as other women's names.
 
Her body was very well-preserved and featured tattoos in abstract patterns. There were dashes and dots tattooed on her body, one was an elliptical pattern found on her lower abdomen, beneath the navel. She had a cicatrix pattern over her lower pubic region. They also discovered parallel lines on her thighs and upper arms.
 
Statues have been discovered of Amunet in many Egyptian tombs that are decorated with designs similar to her tattoos. They are believed to be symbols of regeneration and fertility. These small statues are known as Brides of the Dead and were commonly buried with male mummies.

As time went on, the simplistic patterns of lines and dots progressed into more complex designs. Mummies of dancers that lived around 1500 BCE have been found with the first "picture" tattoos on their thighs. These abstract picture designs are thought to have represented Bes, the god of revelry in Egyptian mythology and the patron god of musicians and dancing girls. Bes tattoos have also been found on female Nubian mummies.

Only female Egyptian mummies have been found with tattoos, but it is not believed that only females were tattooed, as there have been many pieces of Egyptian artwork discovered that depict males with tattoos as well.

 

* This post (and MANY other tattoo-related topics) can be found in the Tattoo Corner for easy future reference.