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The oldest known tattoos belong to “Ötzi the Iceman,”a 5,300-year-old mummy a pair of German hikers discovered in a glacier along the Austrian-Italian border in 1991. For years, scholars have debated whether Ötzi was actually the oldest tattooed human, because scientists identified a tattoo of a pencil-thin mustache on a South American mummy from the Chinchurro region that they initially dated back to about 4000 B.C. But new research has determined that the Chinchorro mummy was not as old as originally believed, and that Ötzi actually predates it by at least 500 years.
A statue representing an iceman named Oetzi, discovered on 1991. Scientists have determined Otzi has the oldest tattoo known to man. (Photo credit should read Andrea Solero/AFP/Getty Images)
Researchers have known that Ötzi had a few dozen tattoos across his legs, back, torso and left wrist, but in January they discovered new marks hidden in deeper layers of his dark-colored skin.
Ötzi has earned his title of the oldest known tattooed human, but the study’s authors say he probably won’t keep it for long. Scientists say examining the preserved human skin of mummies has revealed that the practice of tattooing dates back further than that of Otzi’s time.
Otzi.jpg: A statue representing an iceman named Oetzi, discovered on 1991. Scientists have determined Otzi has the oldest tattoo known to man. (Photo credit should read Andrea Solero/AFP/Getty Images)
