News: Tattooed Mummy Found in Peru
Sunday May 28, 2006
This was actually initially reported about in the news last week, but I was waiting and hoping for more information. A mummified body that is at least 1,500 years old (dating back to approximately 450 A.D.) has been found in a sacred area of Peru known as El Brujo (The Wizard). Her body was tattooed with pictures of spiders, snakes, religious and magic figures. "Lady of Cao", as she has been named by the scientists who found her, was buried by the Huaca Cao Viejo pyramid. Her tattoos were actually not as intriguing as the things she was buried with - ceremonial clubs and jewels to indicate importance in a society that was previously thought to have been male-dominated.
Other News This Week:
- Ohio Tattoo Artist Up on Drug Charges
- Texas Tattoo Artist Killed in Road Rage Shooting
Comments
Just as tattooing has been male-dominated, so has archaeology and therefore the findings of archaeology have been male-dominated. It is still a work in progress for women’s roles to be fully realized and discovered in prehistoric times when men have so traditionally been the center of attention.