Bodies preserved by the deep cold of the Altai mountains offer archaeologists a rare insight into ancient tattoo art, and modern artists are impressed by the skill some of the work displays. Tattooing is so widespread across cultures that were isolated from each other that it almost certainly has very ancient roots.

Interestingly, the study’s authors noted that the mummy’s right forearm tattoos were more technically proficient and detailed than those on the left. According to the team, this implies that either different Pazyryk tattoo artists did the work or it was done by at least a single artist at different stages of proficiency.

Archaeologists have used cutting edge techniques to reveal new information about the intricate tattoos of a woman that lived in Siberia during the Iron Age.