Ice Man

This is one of my favourite articles that I wrote for one of the last classes I took at Westcon. Hope you enjoy mummies and tattoos! :)


There are many theoretical reasons towards the attraction of tattoos. People feel a need to express their individuality or remembrance of a person of chapter in their life. Also, there are theories of social acceptance, rebellion, and deviance in youths. However, we seldom hear about the studies with conclusive research debating whether or not tattoos are, or have been, used for medicinal purposes.
Introducing this theory is a 5,300 year old mummy found frozen in the Alps, discovered in 1991. Otzi, named after the valley in which he was recovered, has groups of markings on his back, legs and ankles. Scientists have proclaimed significant comparison of these markings to ancient versions of tattooing. These tattoos are bluish-black, some said to be lacerations filled with herbs and others produced from ashes injected into the skin with thing wood or bone.
Forensic experts examined the mummy’s body and were able to conclude that Otzi suffered from back pain, whipworm and arthritis of the ankles, knees, spine and hip joints. The markings on Otzi are in very close relation to specific acupuncture points used to heal such maladies in the body. Specialists have measured these tattoos on Otzi’s body and found that nine of the markings were directly on, or 6 millimeters from acupuncture points. Two others were located in the meridian, which is a key focal point of Qi energy flow.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture is a means of balancing and restoring energy in the body by inserting needles into certain points on the body. With the discoveries made in comparing the tattoos on Otzi’s body to acupuncture, scientists are negotiation the idea that acupuncture originated in Europe and not in China.
Otzi has a little over 50 tattoos on his body, some are crosses and the others form groups of 3 or 4 small lines. His tattoos may not have been beautiful, artistic figures or images, but they provided a purpose of the utmost importance. Have we finally found an insight providing positive aspects of tattoos? Tell Grandma to quit her nagging and negative similes portraying any tatted persons to that of an insidious pirate or Hell’s Angel. If scientists can be intrigued and hold a certain respect in their chronicles of human discoveries, then perhaps a little ink here and there, now, is not so bad. Who knows what the future will theorize about their history, looking back upon us now.