Oldest Tattooed Bog Body in the UK

Genipap and the Chimú Mummies

When tattooed mummies of the ancient Chimú culture were discovered in Peru, archaeologists were puzzled by the presence of a preserved fruit clutched in their hands... a fruit which is linked heavily to the paranormal and supernatural. What might this fruit, the genipap, tell us about the Chimú people and their tattoo practice? Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/tattoologypod⁠⁠ [http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod] Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com Music is by Universfield from Pixabay Resources used for this episode: * Lars Krutak, “Pre-Columbian Tattoos of Western South America” [⁠https://larskrutak.com/pre-columbian-tattoos-of-western-south-america/⁠] * Pablo Albarenga, Francesc Badia I Dalmases, “Brazil’s Indigenous peoples mobilise against encroachment on their lands” [https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/brazil-indigenous-lands-mobilisation-landowners-agribusiness/], Open Democracy, 2022 * Rowan Menezes, “Jagua: The Traditional Blueish Dye Of The Shipibo Tribe For Body Art And Medicinal Purposes”, [https://jaguafactory.com/blogs/jagua/jagua-the-traditional-blueish-dye-of-the-shipibo-tribe-for-body-art-and-medicinal-purposes?srsltid=AfmBOorFJhdgrmP-9mWfdfRjKLYyhaO9xix4N9LmCfvzNdIqmy9qfaNk⁠ ] Jagua Factory, 2023 * Sankofa Mind + Body, “Genipapo for Spiritual Ceremony Preparation” [https://sankofamindandbody.com/genipapo-for-spiritual-ceremony-preparation/ ]

Human Bone Tattoo Tools

What a title for an episode! And it's not clickbait, it's not an exaggeration. But it's also not nearly as "grim" or "creepy" as it may sound, so I hope everyone sticks around to learn more about these fascinating, old, and macabre tattoo tools... Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/tattoologypod⁠ [http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod] Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com Music is by Universfield from Pixabay Resources used for this episode: * Danielle Maguire, "World's 'oldest' tattooing kit discovered in a box years after it was thought to be lost" [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-05/worlds-oldest-tattoo-kit-human-bones-tonga-archaeology/10872926], ABC News, 2019 * Megan Gannon, "2,700-Year-Old Polynesian Tattoo Kit Found — and the 'Needles' Were Made of Human Bone" [https://www.livescience.com/64947-tonga-tattoo-combs-discovered.html⁠ ], Live Science, 2019 * The Conversation, "World’s oldest tattooist’s toolkit found in Tonga contains implements made of human bone" [https://theconversation.com/worlds-oldest-tattooists-toolkit-found-in-tonga-contains-implements-made-of-human-bone-109427⁠], 2019

Oldest Known Tattoo Tools

This week, lets have a brief chat about some current discussions happening in the tattoo field, then talk about the OLDEST tattoo tools discovered here in the US! Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod [http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod] Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com Music is by Universfield from Pixabay Resources used for this episode: * Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lars Krutak “Ancient Ink”, University of Washington Press, 2017 * Aaron Deter-Wolf, Tanya M. Peres, Steven Karacic, “Ancient Native American bone tattooing tools and pigments: Evidence from central Tennessee” [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351273737_Ancient_Native_American_bone_tattooing_tools_and_pigments_Evidence_from_central_Tennessee⁠], Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Vol. 37, 2021 * Bruce Bower, “The oldest known tattoo tools were found at an ancient Tennessee site - Sharpened turkey leg bones may have served as tattoo needles at least 3,620 years ago” [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/oldest-tattoo-tools-tennessee-native-american⁠ ], ScienceNews, 2021

Gebelein Man (Oldest Figural Tattoo)

Welcome back! This week, let’s learn about a fascinating pair of tattooed mummy from Egypt, one of which holds the current record for the world oldest figural tattoo. Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com Music is by Universfield from Pixabay Resources used for this episode: * Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lars Krutak “Ancient Ink”, University of Washington Press, 2017 * Brigit Katz, "Earliest Figural Tattoos Discovered on 5,000-Year-Old Mummies [⁠https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earliest-figural-tattoos-discovered-5000-year-old-mummies-180968321/⁠]", Smithsonian Magazine, 2018 * Daniel Antoine, “Virtual autopsy: discover how the ancient Egyptian Gebelein Man died” [⁠https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/virtual-autopsy-discover-how-ancient-egyptian-gebelein-man-died⁠ ], The British Museum, 2012, accessed Jan 2026

Oldest Tattooed Bog Body in the UK

Lindow Man, a famous preserved bog body found in Cheshire, North West England, is often regarded as the oldest tattooed person in the UK. But (plot twist) this may not be true... *cue suspenseful music* Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com Music is by Universfield from Pixabay Resources used for this episode: * Don Brothwell, ⁠"A Faith in Archaeological Science : Reflections on a Life⁠ [https://archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/DMS/78982D2A225C4B44901B49631E10185E/Brothwell%20-%20contents.pdf ]", 1st ed. Archaeopress, 2016, accessed May 2025 * Miranda Aldhouse-Green, “Bog Bodies Uncovered”, 2015 * Sacred Gold, "Tattooing in the UK: From Ancient Tattoos to Modern Art" [https://sacredgold.shop/blogs/sacred-gold-tattoo-articles/tattooing-in-the-uk-from-ancient-times-to-modern-art ], accessed May 2025 * Tomasz Czekaj, "The Evolution Of Tattoo Culture In British Society: From Taboo To Mainstream Art [https://tommicrazy.com/the-evolution-of-tattoo-culture-in-british-society-from-taboo-to-mainstream-art/]", tommicrazy.com [http://tommicrazy.com] * Wikipedia, "Lindow Man" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindow_Man ]