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Today tattoos are everywhere, with more than one-third of Americans having at least one permanent mark inked on their skin. Although tattooing may seem like a recent phenomenon, it has been part of cultures around the world for thousands of years. Archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf is an expert on the ancient history of tattooing. His research has identified the oldest tattooing artifacts from North America, and he recently led studies documenting tattoos preserved on pre-Columbian mummies from Peru and examining the tattooing methods used in Copper Age Europe. This presentation for the Bridgehampton Museum will explore 5,000 years of tattoo history, and what artifacts, mummies, and archaeological research reveal about the deep history of the practice.
Aaron Deter-Wolf is an archaeologist from Nashville, Tennessee, and a leading researcher developing the archaeological study of tattooing. Aaron has published widely on ancient tattooing tools and traditions, including studies identifying tattooing artifacts from North America, experiments working with professional tattoo artists to recreate and test ancient and historic implements, and efforts using digital imaging technologies to record tattoos on mummified human remains. He recently led a reexamination of the tattoos on the ice mummy “Ötzi” to better understand how they were created. That study was published in the European Journal of Archaeology in March 2024. Aaron maintains the open access Tattooed Human Mummies database, and shares information about the history of tattooing and body modification on Instagram @archaeologyink.
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