Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing (McLellan Endowed Series xx)

The desire to alter and adorn the human body is universal. While specific forms of body decoration and the motivations for them vary according to region culture and era all human societies have engaged in practices designed to enhance peoples natural appearance. One of the most widespread types of body art tattooing appears on human mummies by 3200 BCE and was practiced by ancient cultures throughout the world. Ancient Ink the first book dedicated to the archaeological study of tattooing presents new research examining tattooed human remains tattoo tools and art. Examples include Predynastic Egyptian tattoo traditions Iron Age animal motifs of Siberia Ottoman-era religious imagery of Croatian Catholics historical and contemporary burik designs of the Philippines and the modern revival of birthing tattoos in Alaska. This volume contributes to our understanding of the antiquity durability and significance of tattooing and human body decoration and illuminates how different societies have used their skin to construct identities transmit knowledge and display societal values. Ancient Ink connects ancient body art traditions to modern culture with essays on Indigenous tattoo revitalization and the work of contemporary tattoo artists who employ historical techniques and imagery demonstrating the pervasiveness of tattooing and its status as a shared human practice. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak Part One: Skin 1. New Tattoos from Ancient Egypt: Defining Marks of Culture / Rene Friedman 2. Burik: Tattoos of the Ibaloy Mummies of Benguet North Luzon Philippines Analyn Salvador-Amores 3. Reviving Tribal Tattoo Traditions of the Philippines / Lars Krutak 4. The Mummification Process Among the "Fire Mummies" of Kabayan: A Paleohistological Note / Dario Piombino-Mascali Ronald G. Beckett Orlando V. Abinion and Dong Hoon Shin 5. Identifications of Iron Age Tattoos from the Altai-Sayan Mountains in Russia / Svetlana Pankova 6. Neo-Pazyryk Tattoos: A Modern Revival / Colin Dale and Lars Krutak 7. Recovering the Nineteenth-Century European Tattoo: Collections Contexts and Techniques / Gemma Angel 8. After You Die: Preserving Tattooed Skin / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak Part Two: Tools 9. The Antiquity of Tattooing in Southeastern Europe / Petar N. Zidarov 10. Balkan Ink: Europes Oldest Living Tattoo Tradition / Lars Krutak 11. Archaeological Evidence for Tattooing in Polynesia and Micronesia / Louise Furey 12. Reading Between Our Lines: Tattooing in Papua New Guinea / Lars Krutak 13. Scratching the Surface: Mistaken Identifications of Tattoo Tools from Eastern North America / Aaron Deter-Wolf Benoit Robitaille and Isaac Walters 14. Native North American Tattoo Revival / Lars Krutak 15. The Discovery of a Sarmatian Tattoo Toolkit in Russia / Leonid T. Yablonsky 16. Further Evaluation of Tattooing Use-Wear on Bone Tools / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Tara Nicole Clark Part Three: Art 17. What to Make of the Prehistory of Tattooing in Europe? / Luc Renaut 18. Sacrificing the Sacred: Tattooed Prehistoric Ivory Figures of St. Lawrence Island Alaska / Lars Krutak 19. A Long Sleep: Reawakening Tattoo Traditions in Alaska / Lars Krutak References Index