30+ Tattoos Discovered on 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy

A tatted up 3,000-year-old mummy has been discovered in the Deir El-Medina Village on the West bank of of Luxor, announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities last Wednesday. The mummy was uncovered during a French archaeological expedition, was found with 30 tattoos and belonged to a young woman.

The mummy was found in 2014 by the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (IFAO), who recently finished their studies on the mummy. Their research has revealed that the ancient woman lived between 1,300 B.C. and 1,070 B.C., her death being at approximately 25-34 years old.

According to Mostafa al-Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the placement of the mummy’s tattoos on her upper arms and neck suggests that they were designed to be highly visible. The tattoos feature unique symbols of lotus flowers, a wild bull, a group of cattle, a baboon, and the Udjat eye.

Waziri notes this as an indication of the mummy belonging to an elite woman. Although her name and position have not yet been determined, he believes the research points to her playing a significant religious role during her lifetime.

He also remarked that several mummies have been discovered with small tattoos, but none with tattoos as distinguishable and prominent to this ancient woman.

The mummy is now kept in Tomb TT 291 in Luxor, in the same environmental conditions it was buried in 3,000 years ago.

Photo: Ministry of Antiquities