Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing

by Lars Krutak (Editor), Aaron Deter-Wolf (Editor)

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Art, Anthropology

368 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2020

Reviews

[Hadas · Rating 5 out of 5]

As difficult as it was to read, this book was very informative and interesting. Learned a lot about indigenous cultures around the world.
I highly recommend this book!

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is *necessary* that this book and these studies exist, for the preservation of indigenous culture and community, for a complete understanding of humanity's history, and to help modern day tattoo artists understand how sacred and powerful the roots of tattooing are. Some of the more archaeological leaning essays weren't helpful to me personally (a non-indigenous professional tattoo artist), and while I don't doubt their importance or scientific value, just weren't necessary for me to read. But most of the essays (especially the anthropological ones) gave really beautiful perspectives that I feel lucky to have learned about. Props to the authors for incredible research and questions, and handling the topics with grace and respect. This is one that should be required reading for all tattoo artists, regardless of their race or where they live or how long they've been tattooing.

[Tolemeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting collection of articles, that includes quite recent data.
The principal caveat is that the book is not a coherent general history book, so you have to be interested in academic presentation of various archaeological cases.
The content is quite detailed, and range from the description of ancient tattoo from mummies to an elaborate description of (presumed) tattoo equipment in some specific site. In particular, I loved the article that warned against overenthusiastic identification of artefacts as tattooing implements, as it gave a glimpse of the required thoroughness to use in these situations.

[AJ Burgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really stellar pieces in this collection, but the quality is super uneven. The intro from the editors talks about wanting to take a deep dive into the archeological history of tattooing, but to do so for a non-exclusively academic audience. Some of the pieces excel at that mission, while a couple seem to have totally missed that memo.

As a whole, I’d highly recommend this book for anyone with a very specific interest in the subject, but know that a couple chapters feel like a real slog.

Special shoutout to the editors for including an excellent piece from a skeptic who urges researchers to be careful jumping to conclusions when identifying tools (as either tattoo tools or not). It brings a great sense of balanced inquiry to the collection.

[Maxime Perreault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully curated series of academic essays about the history of tattooing, with a focus on archeological research. Having almost zero knowledge in archeology and history, some of the articles were a bit too much for me to understand fully.
I personally am not a fan of ethnography, and a few articles were from that field, so those were harder to read.
I still enjoyed most of the articles, my favorites were the ones diving into the findings of tattoo implements, tools, and kits, and their analysis (part 2).
Overall a great read and it got me excited to learn more about tattoo archeology!

[Amy Lazet · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Excellent book, and very comprehensive; I read it for pleasure. The topics covered are broad and range from 4th c. BCE to contemporary tattoos done in traditional ways, from around the world. My only criticism stems from the somewhat haphazard feel to the organization of the chapters, and the occasional chapter that read more as a litany of archeological finds rather than delving into the social context of the practice.

[Francie Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed this for data gathering. Comprehensive collection of stories of tattooing from around the world + the pictures make it interactive. Read until chapter 5 until I stopped myself going into the rabbit hole >--< but good read! Highly suggested for someone going into the art of tattooing. Talks about appropriation and origins of what ink on skin means to us.

[Shannon Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a research paper, but I happily would have read it for leisure. Solid research, extremely up to date (2017!!), and it includes great photos. Strong recommend for researchers and non-specialists alike.

[Morgan Sandner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great, it is laid out as a textbook but is a smooth read. Great mixture of laying out intelligent information while not alienating those without an anthropological or archaeological backgrounds. The notes in the back of the book would aid well in planning stops on a trip to see some of these artifics in museums.