Mummies In Ancient Egypt

Egyptians are well known for tattoos. There have been many mummies found covered in tattoos from many centuries ago. Mostly woman was discovered to have tattoos located mostly on their thighs. The colors that were used were meaningful and vibrant. The majority of tattoos found on the women bodies had a way of indicating their status. There has been evidence that women had tattoos on their bodies and limbs from figurines c. 4000-3500 B.C. to occasional female figures represented in tomb scenes c. 1200 B.C. and in figurine form c. 1300 B.C., all with tattoos on their thighs. Also small bronze implements identified as tattooing tools were discovered at the town site of Gurob in northern Egypt and dated to c. 1450 B.C. and then of course, there are the mummies with tattoos, and dated back to c. 2000 B.C. (Cate Lineberry) Egyptians got tattoos to provide magical or medical protections. Although it has long been assumed that such tattoos were the mark of prostitutes or were meant to protect the women against sexually transmitted diseases. This is supported by the pattern of distribution, largely around the abdomen, on top of the thighs and the breasts,

In addition to the previous geometric and linear designs, Egyptians are the first culture to depict representational images on the skin, the first of which being the likeness of the god Bes. Deity of revelry, orgies, dancing girls, and musicians, Bes is depicted on the thigh of several mummified remains of female dancers (Bianchi 1988; Gilbert 2000) The body of archaeological evidence of tattooing in Egypt is rich with preserved tattoos and contextual glyphic evidence. It shows a diverse and varied history with assimilation, adaptation, and growth. However, the precise cultural connotations of tattooing or other body modifications remain unknown without corresponding literary