Ancient Ink: Tattoo Archaeology

The popularity of tattooing has skyrocketed over recent decades, and by some estimates nearly 40% of Americans under the age of 30 now have at least one tattoo. However, our contemporary tattoo culture represents only one small aspect of a global tradition spanning at least 5,000 years. Historic accounts document Native American tattooing in Florida and the Southeast in the early 1500s, and ancient art suggests these traditions extend back to at least the tenth century CE. Nevertheless, tattooing has been largely overlooked by archaeologists, and until recently there have been very few identifications of tattoo tools or related artifacts in archaeological collections.

On Thursday, April 5, join Mission San Luis and the FSU Department of Anthropology for a program by Aaron Deter-Wolf of the Tennessee Division of Archaeology. Aaron is co-editor of the new volume “Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing,” has authored multiple book chapters and journal articles on tattoo archaeology, and in 2016 appeared in a NOVA documentary discussing the tattoos on the mummy known as Ötzi. This presentation will discuss the archaeology of tattooing in North America and beyond, focusing on Aaron’s work to identify ancient Native American tattoo tools from the Southeast.

Meet Aaron Deter-Wolf at a wine & cheese reception at 6:00 pm. The lecture is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

This event is co-hosted by Florida State University’s Department of Anthropology.
__________________________________

Left Image in graphic: DeBry Engraving of Timucua wearing tattoos, 1591 (after LeMoyne, 1564). Center: Bone “awls” from archaeological site in Tennessee, ca. 3200 BCE that may have been used for tattooing. Image by Aaron Deter-Wolf. Right: Late Mississippian pottery depicting facial tattoos (Hampson Archaeological Museum, Wilson, AK), ca. AD 1200-1400. Photo by David H. Dye.