Anthropology student (and tattoo enthusiast) Ivy Boyd shares the history behind the ancient art of tattooing! From tattooed mummies to the evolution of the tools themselves, tune in every Wednesday to learn more about this beautiful long-held art form.
When tattooed mummies of the ancient Chimú culture were discovered in Peru, archaeologists were puzzled by the presence of a preserved fruit clutched in their hands... a fruit which is linked heavily to the paranormal and supernatural. What might this fruit, the genipap, tell us about the Chimú people and their tattoo practice?
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod (http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod)
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Music is by Universfield from Pixabay
Resources used for this episode:
Lars Krutak, “Pre-Columbian Tattoos of Western South America” (https://larskrutak.com/pre-columbian-tattoos-of-western-south-america/)
Pablo Albarenga, Francesc Badia I Dalmases, “Brazil’s Indigenous peoples mobilise against encroachment on their lands” (https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/brazil-indigenous-lands-mobilisation-landowners-agribusiness/), Open Democracy, 2022
Rowan Menezes, “Jagua: The Traditional Blueish Dye Of The Shipibo Tribe For Body Art And Medicinal Purposes”, (https://jaguafactory.com/blogs/jagua/jagua-the-traditional-blueish-dye-of-the-shipibo-tribe-for-body-art-and-medicinal-purposes?srsltid=AfmBOorFJhdgrmP-9mWfdfRjKLYyhaO9xix4N9LmCfvzNdIqmy9qfaNk ) Jagua Factory, 2023
Sankofa Mind + Body, “Genipapo for Spiritual Ceremony Preparation” (https://sankofamindandbody.com/genipapo-for-spiritual-ceremony-preparation/ )
4 Mar 2026
Human Bone Tattoo Tools
What a title for an episode! And it's not clickbait, it's not an exaggeration. But it's also not nearly as "grim" or "creepy" as it may sound, so I hope everyone sticks around to learn more about these fascinating, old, and macabre tattoo tools...
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod (http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod)
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Music is by Universfield from Pixabay
Resources used for this episode:
Danielle Maguire, "World's 'oldest' tattooing kit discovered in a box years after it was thought to be lost" (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-05/worlds-oldest-tattoo-kit-human-bones-tonga-archaeology/10872926), ABC News, 2019
Megan Gannon, "2,700-Year-Old Polynesian Tattoo Kit Found — and the 'Needles' Were Made of Human Bone" (https://www.livescience.com/64947-tonga-tattoo-combs-discovered.html ), Live Science, 2019
The Conversation, "World’s oldest tattooist’s toolkit found in Tonga contains implements made of human bone" (https://theconversation.com/worlds-oldest-tattooists-toolkit-found-in-tonga-contains-implements-made-of-human-bone-109427), 2019
25 Feb 2026
Oldest Known Tattoo Tools
This week, lets have a brief chat about some current discussions happening in the tattoo field, then talk about the OLDEST tattoo tools discovered here in the US!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod (http://www.instagram.com/tattoologypod)
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Music is by Universfield from Pixabay
Resources used for this episode:
Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lars Krutak “Ancient Ink”, University of Washington Press, 2017
Aaron Deter-Wolf, Tanya M. Peres, Steven Karacic, “Ancient Native American bone tattooing tools and pigments: Evidence from central Tennessee” (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351273737_Ancient_Native_American_bone_tattooing_tools_and_pigments_Evidence_from_central_Tennessee), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Vol. 37, 2021
Bruce Bower, “The oldest known tattoo tools were found at an ancient Tennessee site - Sharpened turkey leg bones may have served as tattoo needles at least 3,620 years ago” (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/oldest-tattoo-tools-tennessee-native-american ), ScienceNews, 2021
18 Feb 2026
Gebelein Man (Oldest Figural Tattoo)
Welcome back! This week, let’s learn about a fascinating pair of tattooed mummy from Egypt, one of which holds the current record for the world oldest figural tattoo.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Music is by Universfield from Pixabay
Resources used for this episode:
Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lars Krutak “Ancient Ink”, 2017
Brigit Katz, "Earliest Figural Tattoos Discovered on 5,000-Year-Old Mummies (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earliest-figural-tattoos-discovered-5000-year-old-mummies-180968321/)", Smithsonian Magazine, 2018
Daniel Antoine, “Virtual autopsy: discover how the ancient Egyptian Gebelein Man died” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/virtual-autopsy-discover-how-ancient-egyptian-gebelein-man-died ), The British Museum, 2012, accessed Jan 2026
29 Sept 2025
Oldest Tattooed Bog Body in the UK
Lindow Man, a famous preserved bog body found in Cheshire, North West England, is often regarded as the oldest tattooed person in the UK. But (plot twist) this may not be true... *cue suspenseful music*
Follow Tattoology on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Resources used for this episode:
Miranda Aldhouse-Green “Bog Bodies Uncovered”
Don Brothwell, A Faith in Archaeological Science : Reflections on a Life (https://archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/DMS/78982D2A225C4B44901B49631E10185E/Brothwell%20-%20contents.pdf ), 1st ed. Archaeopress; 2016, accessed May 2025
Sacred Gold, Tattooing in the UK: From Ancient Tattoos to Modern Art (https://sacredgold.shop/blogs/sacred-gold-tattoo-articles/tattooing-in-the-uk-from-ancient-times-to-modern-art ), accessed May 2025
Tomasz Czekaj, The Evolution Of Tattoo Culture In British Society: From Taboo To Mainstream Art (https://tommicrazy.com/the-evolution-of-tattoo-culture-in-british-society-from-taboo-to-mainstream-art/), tommicrazy.com (http://tommicrazy.com), accessed May 2025
Wikipedia, Lindow Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindow_Man ), accessed May 2025
17 Sept 2025
Facial Tattoos of the Thule Mummies
For this episode, let's explore the subject of face tattoos and discuss ancient example present on the famous Thule mummies of Greenland.
Follow Tattoology on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Resources used for this episode:
Maya Sialuk Jacobsen, Inuit Tattoo Traditions and the Complexities of a Revival for The Vessel (https://vessel-magazine.no/issues/7/transforming-bodies/inuit-tattoo-traditions-and-the-complexities-of-a-revival ), accessed Sep. 2025
Niels Lynnerup, The Thule Inuit Mummies From Greenland (https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.23131 ), American Association for Anatomy, 2015
Archaeosoup (YouTube) The Qilakitsoq Mummies: In Focus (https://youtu.be/DbHAkitLxqs?si=UXQkgothuL_VZ8Vv)
4 Jun 2025
Tattooed Mummies of Deir el-Medina
Archaeologist Anne Austin reveals previously unseen ancient Egyptian tattoos on women of Deir el-Medina, providing insights into their lives and challenging assumptions about ancient tattooed women in this interview.
28 May 2025
"Do Not Get Those Tattoos"
The hosts of Tattoology discuss a viral TikTok video discouraging tattoos, exploring tattoo regret and its broader societal implications.
7 May 2025
The Siberian Ice Maiden
This ancient mummies breathtaking shoulder tattoo has become an icon in the tattoo world, with countless people sporting a modern replica on their own bodies. Who was this "Ice Maiden" and what do we know about her tattoos?
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the podcast Odd Anthropology for similar stories, hosted by Ivy Boyd and Taisha Koster.
Follow Tattoology on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Resources used for this episode:
https://www.rbth.com/history/333847-mystery-of-siberian-ice-maiden-ukok-plateau-princess
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Ice_Maiden
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0b5vtbj/the-mystery-of-siberia-s-2-500-year-old-ice-maiden-
https://www.history.com/articles/ice-maiden-mummy-siberia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazyryk_burials
30 Apr 2025
Ancient Tattoo Tool Re-Discovered at WSU
Details behind the art of ancient indigenous tattooing in North America have been largely lost over time, with colonization and cultural eraser to blame. So when Andrew Gillreath-Brown re-discovered of a thousands-of-years-old tattoo tool sitting in the archives at Washington State University, he knew this would help shed new light on indigenous tattoo history!
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the podcast Odd Anthropology for similar stories, hosted by Ivy Boyd and Taisha Koster.
Follow Tattoology on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Resources used for this episode:
https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2019/02/28/oldest-tattoo-tool-western-north-america-discovered/ (https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2019/02/28/oldest-tattoo-tool-western-north-america-discovered/)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X18307508?via%3Dihub (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X18307508?via%3Dihub)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-2000-year-old-tattoo-needles-are-oldest-found-western-north-america-180971602/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-2000-year-old-tattoo-needles-are-oldest-found-western-north-america-180971602/)
23 Apr 2025
Ötzi the Iceman
Welcome to the very first episode of Tattoology! Let's start off strong with the incredible story of Ötzi - a 5000 year old mummy discovered in the Alps who currently holds the record for the oldest known tattoos.
If you enjoyed this episode, check out the podcast Odd Anthropology for similar stories, hosted by Ivy Boyd and Taisha Koster.
Follow Tattoology on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tattoologypod
Contact Tattoology: tattoologypod@gmail.com
Resources used for this episode:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-otzi-the-iceman-get-his-tattoos-archaeologists-and-tattoo-artists-unravel-the-mystery-180984194/ (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-otzi-the-iceman-get-his-tattoos-archaeologists-and-tattoo-artists-unravel-the-mystery-180984194/)
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/scientists-have-mapped-all-of-otzi-the-icemans-61-tattoos (https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/scientists-have-mapped-all-of-otzi-the-icemans-61-tattoos)
https://www.iceman.it/en/tattootechniqueotzi/#:~:text=They%20are%20all%20in%20places,a%20type%20of%20pain%20treatment (https://www.iceman.it/en/tattootechniqueotzi/#:~:text=They%20are%20all%20in%20places,a%20type%20of%20pain%20treatment)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
42
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
Contact Tattoology
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Tattoology?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
