The strange tattoos of the Turin mummy

The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin houses a diverse collection of archaeological remains, ethnographic materials, photographs, and human remains. Among the latter are two mummies from South America: a young woman likely belonging to the Chancay culture, and another for which no archival documentation exists regarding the location and circumstances of its discovery.
An international team of researchers focused on the latter, particularly studying her facial tattoos, a very rare occurrence in the pre-Columbian world.

The mummy belongs to an adult woman and was donated to the museum before 1931, as can be deduced from the limited archival documentation. Her black hair is cut short, and her body is tightly bent, in the typical position of Andean mummies, placed in a sitting position and wrapped in bandages and fabrics.
Some textile fragments allowed the body to be radiocarbon-dated, placing the woman's death between 1215 and 1382 AD.

The mummy was analyzed with infrared reflectography, revealing the presence of tattoos: three lines on the right cheek, one on the left cheek, and an S-shaped sign on the right wrist. Researchers were struck by both the location and the designs.
In addition to the rarity of facial markings among ancient Andean populations, the S-shaped motif on the wrist is unique to this day. The composition of the ink used to create the tattoos is also unusual. The pigment was not made with carbon, as one would expect, but with magnetite, an iron oxide mineral, and augite, both minerals found in southern Peru.
The importance of this study also lies in the techniques used, all non-invasive, which do not compromise the integrity of the artifact but significantly increase the legibility of the tattooed signs on the body.
 

Agnese Picco
NP June / July 2025