Museum Home >> Tattoo History >> Upper Paleolithic

Upper Paleolithic (10,000 to 38,000 BC)

Tattoo instruments from this period have been found and typically these instruments consist of a disk made of clay and red ochre together with sharp bone needles that are inserted into holes in the top of the disk. The disk served as reservoir and source of pigment, and the needles were used to pierce the skin. Clay and stone figurines with engraved designs, which probably represent tattooing, have also been found.

Oetzi the Iceman tattoo information
Click for more photos

European Iceman Mummy

A Bronze Age tattooed man around 5,500 years old was found in October 1991 between Austria and Italy in the Tyrolean Alps. The Iceman, "Oetzi" is the oldest known human to have medicinal tattoos preserved upon his mummified skin.

(more info & images of Oetzi and his tattoos here)

Cave of the Azil Farmhouse

Early tools of tattooing
Carved figure showing possible tattoo lines on arms
Click for larger images

Possible early evidence comes from an Upper Paleolithic cave, approximately 12,000 years old, excavated in the Pyrenees Mountains of Southern France, know as the Grottes du Mas d'Azil (or Cave of the Azil Farmhouse).

In 1962, Marthe Péquart published "Grotte du Mas d'Azil (Ariége), Une nouvelle galerie magdalénienne" in Annales de Paléontologie. 48:167-296, pp. 211-214. In that article, the illustration at right appears, showing the tools of tattooing.

Cave at Hohlenstein-Stadel

Germany has a long history of body decoration. In 1988, the carved figure at right was found in a cave at Hohlenstein-Stadel, in Germany and was carbon-dated to 32,000 years old. The carved body had thin lines running across the upper arm.

Additional Resources

NOVA Online -- Transcripts | Ice Mummies: Return of the Iceman

NEXT >> Ancient Egypt

Home | Tattoo Museum| Celebrity Tattoos | Photo Galleries | Symbols & Designs | Contact Info

© 2009, vanishingtattoo.com

If you found this website helpful in learning more about the history of tattoos and the meanings behind many of the world's most popular tattoo designs and symbols, please feel free to contribute so that we can continue making the world's largest tattoo resource available to everyone at no charge.

If you're looking for the perfect tattoo design for yourself, a member of your family or a friend, the biggest help to us is for you to visit our partners at Bullseye Tattoos, Tattoo Art or Tattoo Johnny, and choose from over a hundred thousand amazing designs. They have the best selection, prices and customer service available on the Internet and that is why we recommend them all personally.

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider
helping us with a gift of $5.00.

It's great people like you and your contributions that allow us to continue our work and research into the amazing history of tattoos around the world and to constantly update and add content to our website.

Thanks for reading! The Vanishing Tattoo Crew.