9781422273845

Tattooing in History In 1991 a mummified man was discovered in the ice of the Ötztal Alps in Austria. Nicknamed Ötzi (or sometimes “Iceman”), he was more than 5,000 years old. Ötzi had around 60 tattoos of dots, lines, and crosses arranged in patterns all over his body. There’s no way to know for sure why he had so many tattoos, but experts hypothesize that they may have been intended to alleviate joint pain, rather than for decoration.

Reconstruction of Ötzi showing some of his tattoos.

Many of Ötzi’s tattoos were on his joints (such as the knee and ankle); others were found in spots that acupuncturists use when treating patients. What’s more, scans suggest that Ötzi did, in fact, have some tissue degeneration at the precise points where the tattoos were located.

Teen Guides to Health & Wellness: Tattoos, Piercings, and Body Modifications

10