We May Have Decoded a Sacred Motif in Ancient Egyptian Mummy Tattoos

The mummified skins of two women from an ancient town on the bank of the Nile River suggest that the lower back has been a trendy tattoo spot for more than three thousand years.

One of the female mummies described by researchers in a recent paper was excavated from the site of Deir el-medina around a century ago, but only recently did experts notice black marks on her skin.

There is a band of permanently drawn diamonds just above her butt.

The lower back tattoo of the second female mummy was only visible through the use of a camera. There is a water pattern and a line of plants on her lower back.

Women could have gone to soothe themselves on the shores of the Nile during pregnancies and menstruation, according to researchers. A wedjat-eye, a representation of the Egyptian god Horus, is watching the scene.

There are other female mummies who have been tatted up as well. The first tattooed mummy was found in Egypt in 1891, and since then seven others have been found in Dier el- Medina alone.

The mummies have tattoos on their neck and hips.

A mummy that was found in the 20th century has a hip that is permanently marked with an image of the Egyptian god Bes, who was a protective deity for pregnant women.

Many of the tattoos on these mummies are placed around the hips and lower back, which could be related to reproduction. There are figurines of female bodies from this time that are decorated around their mid-section.

In some women's cases, menstruation, as well,Acute lower back pain frequently accompanies labor, and in some women's cases, menstruation, as well," the authors of the recent analysis wrote.

Lower back tattoos may have been a way to protect against the pains of being a woman.

A marsh along the banks of the Nile could be a good place for women to take a break during their periods. It's possible that ancient women in Egypt had the sanctuary tattooed on their backs to bring some of that soothing power wherever they went.

It's important to consider ubiquity in this interpretation.

We would expect to find these markings far more frequently if the tattoos were meant to ensure successful pregnancies or avoid pain for the woman who bears them.

Not all mummies in Egypt are the same. Some mummies are covered in tattoos while others are bare.

It's not possible for researchers to theorize as to why that was. Only those women who were involved in the birth-giving process were tattooed in this way. Maybe it was a representation of the members of a cult.

These tattoos were not shy. They were very strong.

The journal published the study.