Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—A study* uncovers remains of previously unknown individuals with tattoos in ancient Nubia, providing fresh insights into the prevalence, methods, and shifting motifs of tattooing over centuries. Tattooing is known to have occurred in ancient Nubia, particularly in the Nile River Valley. The advent of multispectral imaging methods has enabled the analysis of preserved skin samples for signs of tattooing. Anne Austin and colleagues examined 1,048 human remains from three sites in the Nile River Valley covering the period 350 BCE through 1400 CE. The analysis revealed 27 individuals with tattoos, nearly doubling the number of known tattooed individuals in the Nile River Valley. The tattoos were found on both male and female remains, with ages ranging from infants to elderly adults. Through microscopic analysis of the tattoos, the authors found a shift in tattooing practices in the medieval period, when Christianity was introduced to the region. The motifs of dotted diamonds across the body, as well as crisscrossed patterns on the hands in the pre-Christian period, gave way to tattoos on the face. The shapes of markings suggest tattoos formed with a knife rather than with a needle. According to the authors, the findings illustrate how multispectral techniques can provide context to ancient tattooing practices by clarifying techniques and motifs.
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Reconstruction of geometric tattoos on the right hand of an adult woman from Semna South. Mary Nguyen. ©2025 UMSL
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Reconstruction of tattooing on the forehead of a 3-year-old female (657-855 CE) from Kulubnarti. Mary Nguyen. ©2025 UMSL
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Article Source: PNAS news release.
*“Revealing tattoo traditions in ancient Nubia through multispectral imaging,” by Anne Austin, Brenda J. Baker, Tatijana Jovanovic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 15-Dec-2025. https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2517291122
