Ancient Ink
The Archaeology of Tattooing
Published on 8. January 2018
Book
Hardback
277 pages
978-0-295-74282-3 (ISBN)
Description
The human desire to adorn the body is universal and timeless. While specific forms of body decoration and the motivations for them vary by region, culture, and era, all human societies have engaged in practices designed to augment and enhance people's natural appearance. Tattooing, the process of inserting pigment into the skin to create permanent designs and patterns, is one of the most widespread forms of body art and was practiced by ancient cultures throughout the world, with tattoos appearing on human mummies by 3200 BCE.
Ancient Ink, the first book dedicated to the archaeological study of tattooing, presents new, globe-spanning research examining tattooed human remains, tattoo tools, and ancient art. Connecting ancient body art traditions to modern culture through Indigenous communities and the work of contemporary tattoo artists, the volume's contributors reveal the antiquity, durability, and significance of body decoration, illuminating how different societies have used their skin to construct their identities.
Ancient Ink, the first book dedicated to the archaeological study of tattooing, presents new, globe-spanning research examining tattooed human remains, tattoo tools, and ancient art. Connecting ancient body art traditions to modern culture through Indigenous communities and the work of contemporary tattoo artists, the volume's contributors reveal the antiquity, durability, and significance of body decoration, illuminating how different societies have used their skin to construct their identities.
Reviews / Votes
"Ancient Ink is a significant volume, not only because it is a large collection of important essays that investigate tattooing in the archaeological, ethnographic, and historical record, but also because it seriously and systematically addresses and documents the antiquity and revival of human body decoration through tattooing. I recommend this comprehensive and outstanding book for anyone interested in appreciating and understanding the roots of ancient tattooing and the long history of its practices, revivals, and technologies."- David H. Dye (Journal of Anthropological Research)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
24 color illus., 157 b&w illus., 7 maps, 2 tables
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Weight
907 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-74282-3 (9780295742823)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2018
1st Edition
University of Washington Press
€39.49
Available for download
Persons
Lars Krutak is a research associate at the Museum of International Folk Art. He is author of Tattoo Traditions of Native North America: Ancient and Contemporary Expressions of Identity and Spiritual Skin: Magical Tattoos and Scarification. Aaron Deter-Wolf is a prehistoric archaeologist for the Tennessee Division of Archaeology and senior editor of Drawing with Great Needles: Ancient Tattoo Traditions of North America. The contributors are Orlando V. Abinion, Gemma Angel, Ronald G. Beckett, Tara Nicole Clark, Colin Dale, Renee Friedman, Louise Furey, Svetlana Pankova, Dario Piombino-Mascali, Luc Renaut, Benoit Robitaille, Analyn Salvador-Amores, Dong Hoon Shin, Isaac Walters, Leonid T. Yablonsky, and Petar N. Zidarov.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak
Part One Skin
1. New Tattoos from Ancient Egypt: Defining Marks of Culture / Renee Friedman
2. Burik: Tattoos of the Ibaloy Mummies of Benguet, North Luzon, Philippines / Analyn Salvador-Amores
3. Reviving Tribal Tattoo Traditions of the Philippines / Lars Krutak
4. The Mummification Process among the "Fire Mummies" of Kabayan: A Paleohistological Note / Dario Piombino-Mascali, Ronald G. Beckett, Orlando V. Abinion, and Dong Hoon Shin
5. Identifications of Iron Age Tattoos from the Altai-Sayan Mountains in Russia / Svetlana Pankova
6. Neo-Pazyryk Tattoos: A Modern Revival / Colin Dale and Lars Krutak
7. Recovering the Nineteenth-Century European Tattoo: Collections, Contexts, and Techniques / Gemma Angel
8. After You Die: Preserving Tattooed Skin / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak
Part Two Tools
9. The Antiquity of Tattooing in Southeastern Europe / Petar N. Zidarov
10. Balkan Ink: Europe's Oldest Living Tattoo Tradition / Lars Krutak
11. Archaeological Evidence for Tattooing in Polynesia and Micronesia / Louise Furey
12. Reading Between Our Lines: Tattooing in Papua New Guinea / Lars Krutak
13. Scratching the Surface: Mistaken Identifications of Tattoo Tools from Eastern North America / Aaron Deter-Wolf, Benoit Robitaille, and Isaac Walters
14. Native North American Tattoo Revival / Lars Krutak
15. The Discovery of a Sarmatian Tattoo Toolkit in Russia / Leonid T. Yablonsky
16. Further Evaluation of Tattooing Use-Wear on Bone Tools / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Tara Nicole Clark
Part Three Art
17. What to Make of the Prehistory of Tattooing in Europe? / Luc Renaut
18. Sacrificing the Sacred: Tattooed Prehistoric Ivory Figures of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska / Lars Krutak
19. A Long Sleep: Reawakening Tattoo Traditions in Alaska / Lars Krutak
References
Contributors
Index
Introduction / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak
Part One Skin
1. New Tattoos from Ancient Egypt: Defining Marks of Culture / Renee Friedman
2. Burik: Tattoos of the Ibaloy Mummies of Benguet, North Luzon, Philippines / Analyn Salvador-Amores
3. Reviving Tribal Tattoo Traditions of the Philippines / Lars Krutak
4. The Mummification Process among the "Fire Mummies" of Kabayan: A Paleohistological Note / Dario Piombino-Mascali, Ronald G. Beckett, Orlando V. Abinion, and Dong Hoon Shin
5. Identifications of Iron Age Tattoos from the Altai-Sayan Mountains in Russia / Svetlana Pankova
6. Neo-Pazyryk Tattoos: A Modern Revival / Colin Dale and Lars Krutak
7. Recovering the Nineteenth-Century European Tattoo: Collections, Contexts, and Techniques / Gemma Angel
8. After You Die: Preserving Tattooed Skin / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Lars Krutak
Part Two Tools
9. The Antiquity of Tattooing in Southeastern Europe / Petar N. Zidarov
10. Balkan Ink: Europe's Oldest Living Tattoo Tradition / Lars Krutak
11. Archaeological Evidence for Tattooing in Polynesia and Micronesia / Louise Furey
12. Reading Between Our Lines: Tattooing in Papua New Guinea / Lars Krutak
13. Scratching the Surface: Mistaken Identifications of Tattoo Tools from Eastern North America / Aaron Deter-Wolf, Benoit Robitaille, and Isaac Walters
14. Native North American Tattoo Revival / Lars Krutak
15. The Discovery of a Sarmatian Tattoo Toolkit in Russia / Leonid T. Yablonsky
16. Further Evaluation of Tattooing Use-Wear on Bone Tools / Aaron Deter-Wolf and Tara Nicole Clark
Part Three Art
17. What to Make of the Prehistory of Tattooing in Europe? / Luc Renaut
18. Sacrificing the Sacred: Tattooed Prehistoric Ivory Figures of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska / Lars Krutak
19. A Long Sleep: Reawakening Tattoo Traditions in Alaska / Lars Krutak
References
Contributors
Index