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| Figure 1: Turkey bones established as tattooing instruments (Source: Deter-Wolf et al. 2021) |
Tattooing has existed for several millennia and found cross culturally around the globe. The motivations for tattooing vary by culture, as do the images immortalized on individual’s bodies. There has been a great deal of study of both past and present tattooing traditions, but there remain gaps in our knowledge, particularly pertaining to ancient tattooing practices. Fortunately, a recent study has provided some filling of some of those gaps by identifying the oldest tattooing devices thus far discovered.
In 1985 excavations at the multicomponent site of Fernvale in central Tennessee yielded what was initially considered a rather unremarkable discovery. Found nearby the burial of an adult male (25-55 years of age) was a tool kit containing six turkey bones (Figure 1) and several shells covered in red and black pigment. This took kit was wrapped in a Canidae skin and intentionally buried with the deceased male. No further analyses were done on the artifacts, and they were recorded in the initial inventory as being a ”tool kit”, associated with the age of the site of somewhere between 5,520 and 3,620 years ago.
Reanalysis of these artifacts, however, yielded a rather remarkable discovery. The reanalysis took the form of three separate analyses: microscopy, involving the microscopic analysis of the wear patterns on the turkey bones; elemental analysis, meaning a chemical examination of the residues on the bones; and contextual assessment, a review of the original placement of the artifacts when initially discovered. This three pronged approach demonstrated a three fold support for the researchers’ final conclusions: they had discovered an ancient tattooing tool kit, complete with tattooing instruments.
The microscopy analysis relied on an experimental archaeological study wherein deer bones were modified and used to tattoo pig skin (a practice novice tattoo artists use when learning and honing their craft). The wear patterns on the deer bones matched those found on the turkey bones, providing the first line of evidentiary support. The elemental analysis confirmed the presence of red and black pigments on the turkey bones, along with their presence on accompanying stained shells. This provided the second line of evidence. The location of the tool kit, being both in a burial and placed in a significant position in relation to the deceased’s body, further supported the conclusion that this was a tattooing tool kit and that these were tattoo instruments.
This alone was a monumental discovery since so few tattooing instruments have been found in antiquity. Because most (if not all) of these ancient tools would have been constructed from organic materials their likelihood of preserving in the ancient archaeological record is greatly reduced. Furthermore, it is difficult to appropriately identify tools as tattooing instruments if one does not have a model to go off of. But what makes this find even more remarkable is that the date for when tattooing began was pushed back a thousand years, making this the world’s oldest tattooing instruments!
Bibliography
Bower, B. (2021, May 25). The oldest known tattoo tools were found at an ancient Tennessee site. Retrieved from Science News: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/oldest-tattoo-tools-tennessee-native-american
Deter-Wolf, A., Peres, T. M., & Karacic, S. (2021). Ancient Native American bone tattooing tools and pigments: Evidence from central Tennessee. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 1-10.
No Author. (2021, May 26). Tennessee’s Tattooing Tools Dated to More Than 5,500 Years Ago. Retrieved from Archaeology Magazine: https://www.archaeology.org/news/9717-210526-native-american-tattoo
7 comments:
This is kind of entertaining i didn’t know use turkey bones to do tattoos on people and it’s funny they practice on pigs but you got to start somewhere.Keith McConnell
Dr. Boston,
I clicked on this post because I’ve been thinking about getting another tattoo and then I saw the word tattoo and I was like, I think I want to read this. After doing so I’m most curious about what kind of tattoos these turkey bones created and if it was permanent or temporary. Do you know? I’m also curious if it can be assumed that the individual that the tools were buried with is the tattoo artist? It also makes me wonder if he was the only tattooer in his group or tribe and if he did all of the tattooing on maybe himself or other people. Either way this was very interesting to read!
Gwyn, I believe temporary tattoos are a relatively newer, more modern phenomenon, so I believe that the tattooing instruments noted in this post were for permanent tattoos. As for the specific images that were tattooed I do not know. There were a variety of tattooed images throughout antiquity, but I am unfamiliar with tattoo imagery of North American groups. Also, as we previous discussed in class typically what is left in a burial is what the living felt about the deceased. The tattooing instruments may have been for occupational purposes, or it could have been left behind for someone who really enjoyed being tattooed. We will talk more about how archaeologists interpret material culture in a future course. :)
I have always found traditional tattooing to be so interesting. How did the first people get the idea in their head to sharpen an object and put some kind of pigment on it and stab themselves with it repeatedly to make art? It seems like a weird idea to just come up with. I wonder why they used turkey bones and not something else. It is so cool that they practiced on pig skin, that implies to me that they had a whole training process and it was like someone's job in the village to tattoo. They were skilled craftsmen the same way people who made clay pots were.
It is amazing how the past stays relevant in the present tattooing has been around for many years and to see even in the past they used pigments and sharp animal bones to tattoo others is very interesting! especially compared to now where tattoo inks and needles keep tattoos on the skin for longer. Renn Bullard
I have heard of this type of traditional tattooing before and I know some native tribes still do it till this day. I did not know that they used turkey bones back then and that they used to practice on pig skin. The fact that these made permanent tattoos is cool and this was an interesting read.
-Keira Robinson
I read this article and was very interested in the new discoveries about ancient tattoo cultures. I am particularly impressed by the discovery that a turkey bone from the Fernvale site in Tennessee, USA, has been identified as the oldest tattoo tool. Tattooing is an ancient culture found throughout the world, but much remains a mystery as to its origins and the tools used. The fact that the bone wear patterns and pigment traces confirm that it was a tattoo tool is an extremely valuable archaeological find.
This discovery also reveals that the tattoo culture dates back at least 1,000 years, and is expected to lead to a new understanding of the origins of tattoos and their role. I am thrilled that through these discoveries, we will gain greater insight into how ancient peoples expressed themselves through tattoos.
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