Mysterious tattoos scrawled on the bones of a young woman buried 4,500 years ago have puzzled scientists.
Experts believe that the drawings that can be called tattoos were made after the decomposition of the body.
Archaeologists say that this is the first time such a funeral rite has been discovered and has never been recorded among other prehistoric communities in Europe.
An ancient burial of a woman, aged 25 to 30, was discovered several years ago in a mound near the Dniester. Scientists immediately noticed the parallel lines on the bones of the skeleton.
As noted by archaeologists from the University of Poznan (Poland), in the beginning, the patterns on the remains were treated with caution. Scientists assumed that these could be the marks from the claws of a predator. However, research using the latest scientific methods has shown that the grooves on the skeleton are artificial patterns made using wood resin.
According to scientists, the procedure for decorating bones was performed after death and the process of decomposition of the body. The patterns were applied directly to the bone after the flesh was peeled off. This is clearly indicated by the location of the tattoos and the method of applying the dye.
“Some time after the death of the woman, the grave was reopened and the bone was decorated,” archaeologists note.
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In their opinion, this discovery is unique. Until now, no evidence of such a custom has been found among other prehistoric communities in Europe.
Researchers have previously found fuzzy marks on bones that could be interpreted as the remains of tattoos, but none of these artifacts have been analyzed using modern methods. The tribes living in Central Transnistria led a nomadic lifestyle for about 4500 years and did not establish permanent settlements, but erected monumental burial mounds.
“However, women were rarely buried in them. The deceased, whose bones were covered with patterns, should have been an important member of the community,”the scientists note.
The findings are described in Volume 22 of Baltic-Pontic Studies, which will be published next month.
Constance Barabkina