Making Their MarkTattooing and Scarification in the Aegean Bronze Age
Neolithic Tattooing and
Scarification
Figure 1 Figure 2
Female seated clay figurine from Late Neolithic, Franchthi Cave. (Left)
Kourotrophic clay figurine from Late Neolithic. Found in Thessaly. (Right)
Early Cycladic I PeriodEarly Cycladic marble figure from Keros, Kavos (Left)
Early Cycladic marble figure. No known find spot. (Middle)
Early Cycladic marble figure from Keros, Kavos (Right)
Early Cycladic I PeriodBritish Museum
At least 5 rows of dots across forehead
9 or more rows across the cheeks, which then continue below nose
Back of head – blue-on-red dots bordered what appeared to be a square which indicated hair that is no longer visible
NY Private Collection
2 rows of dots across forehead
As many as 7 rows on cheeks
2 rows of faint dots on chin
Down nose is stripe (also blue-over-red)
Plank Figures
Single-headed plank figure from Lapithos, tomb 201 (Left)
Cradle plank figure. Unknown origin. (Right)
Sphinx Head Cult Center at Mycenae
Plaster head
Painting Style and colors reminiscent of fresco paintings
4 dot rosettes – forehead, each check, and chin
The Sphinx Head
House of Idols
Materials/Tools Obsidian
Copper pins
Awls
Stone palettes and pestles
Mini-arbioloi
Bone tubes
Pigments – cinnabar, ochre, azurite, malachite (?)
Tools – Obsidian Blades
Tools - Copper Needles
Tomb nine in cemetery of Early Cycladic I Plastiras
Used for tattooing skin
Tools - Awls Small pointed tool used for piercing holes
Tomb 26 from the Early Bronze Age II site Louros Athalassou in southwestern Naxos contained 3 copper or bronze awls
Kampos Group cemetery of Ayioi Anargyroi has a small bronze awl
Kampos Group cemetery of Ayioi Anargyroi
Tools - Stone Pestles and Palettes
Tomb 356 in Chalandriani (EBA II)
Grinding and preparing pigments for tattooing
Tools - Mini-arbioloi
Special ceramic container for pigments
Tomb 26 from the Early Bronze Age II site Louros Athalassou in southwestern Naxos
Tools – Bone Tubes Held pigment
Tomb 356 of Chalandriani (EBAII Cycladic)
Materials - Cinnabar Used to make red coloring
Figure from British Museum
Rare – valuable and symbolically powerful
Vibrant color
Could turn black with exposure to light; metacinnabar
Materials - ochre Used to make red color
Easily accessible in Aegean
Materials - azurite Blue pigment
Copper mineral
Valuable based on how they treated pigment
Materials - Malachite Green pigment
Found in copper ores
Rarest used of three colors
Not much analysis done on green pigment so not much is known about it and if Malachite was even used to create coloring
Evidence for Human Tattooing and Scarification
Obsidian blades found in grave show evidence of cutting soft to medium-soft substances, which could include skin
Evidence for Human Tattooing - Egypt
Tattooed mummy from Thebes, Egypt from late 3rd millennium
Location and Meaning Location of motifs as well as what the motif was most likely
had some sort of significance
Belly – tied to pregnancy? Protection for mother and child? Zigzags and nonanatomical eyes
Nonanatomical eyes – bring more attention to area. More sight power?
Zigzags – upper arm or legs Bring attention, more strength? Tribal, community, or individual identification?
Purpose for Tattooing Purpose is not certain, but there are theories
Form of identification that accompanied an increase of contact with outside cultures
Mark personal events, status, or record crucial messages, often accompanied rituals
Issues With Evidence Tattoos/Scarification or
clothes or body paint?
It would not seem likely a zigzag pattern would have survived from Neolithic to Early Cycladic as a tattoo design. More likely it would represent a belt, which would have existed in both time periods
