Sacred Tattoos found on Egyptian female mummy's.


(Symbolic tattoos found on the neck of a recent mummy at Deir el-Medina. Image: Anne Austin/University of Missouri-St. Louis.  The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.  2022)


In 2021 I co-authored with a friend of mine, Anina Chahid, on an article titled "Symbols of the Mystic:  Amazigh women and their Tattoos".  We researched as much as we could in relation to the now fading tradition of Bedouin tattooing of North African tribal women and styled our article with the deepest respect for the symbolism that these tribal peoples held dear.   To pay homage to the Amazigh and the deep spiritual connection to the elements of nature and their tattooed talismans, which only occurred on Bedouin women,  for protection against malevolent spirits that may try and hex their family and tribe.   Our article was turned down by several leading fashion magazines, initially agreed by one to publish it, later deciding not to publish the article.

We recently saw an article on phys.org that went into detail about Egyptian female mummy's which had tattoos as symbols to protect them at childbirth, authors of the article and its research was conducted in 2022.  Anina, who is half Moroccan, was always lead to believe that the relationship between the tattooing of Egyptian laywomen had influenced North African tribal women.  At least by inspiring the spiritual connection that the feminine has with the Earth and its elements.   Excerpt from:  "Symbols of the Mystic:  Amazigh women and their Tattoos"  (A.Glass, Anina Chahid 2021)

"...The Amazigh practice of tattooing, may have started as early as 1300 BCE, which could have been influenced by the Egyptians, who were tattooing women as far back as 3000 BCE and then later by the Carthaginians (modern day Tunisia), who worshiped the feminine deity Tanith. It was assumed that these 'markings' found on female mummies were to indicate a dancing girl or prostitute, further denigrating the practice of tattoos of the ancient peoples of the Middle East, rewritten to suit the narrative and spread of monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity throughout North Africa. It was also used to oppress the feminine of prehistoric times who was venerated as a divine goddess, to which these tattoos in ancient Egypt represented. Writing into history that only low class women received these markings, historians have since argued that all women of Egyptian society may have also had tattoos, later to be theorized, as permanent marks that represented fertility and protection.  Physical amulets to assist in childbirth, in which ritualized tattoos of Egyptian women could have also been applied to the roles of a high priestess, in her reverence of the cult goddess Hathor..."   

For the full article:  "Symbols of the Mystic:  Amazigh women and their Tattoos"  (A.Glass, Anina Chahid 2021), please refer:  https://chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/05/symbols-of-mystic-amazigh-women-and.html

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