The Mummy with the Griffin Tattoo: 2,500 Year Old Tapestry on Skin

Frozen for 2,500 years in Siberia’s Altai Mountains, a Pazyryk mummy’s tattoos reveal a world of artistry that would enchant modern tattooists. This mummy belongs to that of a 50-year-old woman whose skin (that was preserved in an icy tomb) bears vivid images of fauna found in her environment. Animals shown on her skin include leopards, a stag and a rooster… but there’s one more creature that’s different from the rest. This creature is mythical in nature with a body that blends both lion and eagle features—tthe legendary griffin.

These tattoo designs reflect a scenery where nomadic warrior cultures once roamed the vast steppes between China and Eastern Europe. Today in 2025, new imaging has brought this ancient craft to light, showing the skill of a people who lived bold and free. Before we delve into the symbolism of the mummy’s tattoos, let us first talk about the culture she belonged in.

Who Were the Pazyryk People Anyway?

First of all, the Pazyryk were Eurasian horse-riding nomads of Scythian stock who thrived from the 6th to the 3rd centuries BCE. They roamed the steppes on sturdy horses and have been known to raid neighboring tribes whilst excelling in warfare. Despite their warrior culture, the Pazyryk have also mastered animal husbandry and held shamanic rituals. Their tombs were deep log-lined chambers capped by massive kurgans that held carpets, wooden saddles and finely wrought metalwork. Now we know their skin tattoo techniques were just as refined.

Mummy Unearthed from an Icy Tomb

Soviet archaeologists unearthed the 50-year-old Pazyryk mummy woman from frozen graves in the Altai Mountains. This was during anthropologist Sergei Rudenko’s expedition from 1947 to 1949. While faint traces of her tattoos were noted, their full intricacy remained hidden until July 2025. Using sub-millimeter near-infrared imaging at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, researchers uncovered dozens of intricate animal figures and geometric motifs in stunning detail.

Dr. Gino Caspari of the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology and the University of Bern praised these findings as evidence of a tattooing tradition far more sophisticated than previously imagined.

Wild Designs of a Nomad Woman’s Life

On the mummy woman’s right forearm depicts a leopard that seems to prowl around a deer’s head in a fierce swirl of motion. Meanwhile, her left arm shows the titular griffin locked in battle with a stag. Having been interviewed by the BBC News, Dr. Caspari told them how he believes that art depicting battles between beasts was held with deep fascination for a warrior culture like the Pazyryk. However, a rooster on her thumb stands out with a unique flair. Dr. Caspari believes this rooster imagery to be personal or sentimental to the mummy woman. 

To learn how these Pazyryk tattoos were crafted, the research team joined forces with Daniel Riday; a tattooist who recreates ancient designs on his own skin. Riday noted that the mummy’s arms had tattoos that differ in quality. He suggests that different artists may have completed the tattoos, or that there were errors made during the inking process.

Ancient Tattoo Art with Modern Grit

Riday estimated the right arm’s lower half took four and a half hours, whilst the upper half five more. Daniel Riday was astonished about the dedication the Pazyryk had with their inking, especially if they’ve made the tattoos during harsh weather conditions in the Eurasian steppes. According to Riday, the Pazyryk process demanded someone who was highly skilled in health safety; someone who was aware of the risks when needles pierce skin and how to utilize such tools with brilliant expertise. 

Researchers believe the Pazyryk used stencils to sketch designs before tattooing. The Pazyryk people likely wielded bone or horn tools with multiple points for broad lines and a single needle for detail. Pigment from burned plants or soot gave the tattoos their lasting hue. Some tattoos bear scars from burial rites, hinting they mattered in life rather than the afterlife. Dr. Caspari speculates that these were badges of honor for the living, tying them to the woman’s warrior identity.

Griffins as Noble Emblems

With a lion’s raw strength combined with an eagle’s majesty over the skies, the hybrid griffins stood as bold emblems of might and sacred guardianship across Ancient Eurasia. With roots in the art of Mesopotamia’s old kingdoms as well as the Persian Empire’s, the griffin’s symbolism traveled between early Silk Road trails to spark imaginations from Greece to Central Asia. For the Pazyryk, a griffin inked on a warrior’s skin was a badge of their wild hunter-warrior livelihoods with ties to symbolic power. 

Overall, the mummy woman’s tattoos show the Pazyryk as master artists and fighters; a legacy that mirrors today’s tattoo culture with modern military personnel. Each tattoo mark tells a story of skill and survival that’s preserved through millennia.

Top image: One of the several Pazyryk mummies currently housed at the Hermitage Museum. Source: CC BY-SA 4.0. Tattoo depiction of a griffin hunting a stag. Illustrated by Daniel Riday.

References:

1. Caspari G, Deter-Wolf A, Riday D, Vavulin M, Pankova S. High-resolution near-infrared data reveal Pazyryk tattooing methods. Antiquity. Published online 2025:1-15. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10150

2. Rannard, Georgina. “2,500-Year-Old Siberian ‘Ice Mummy’ Had Intricate Tattoos, Imaging Reveals.” BBC News, 31 July 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzx0zm68vo.

3. Mair, Victor. “Griffins: The Implications of Art History for Language Spread.” Language Log, 9 Aug. 2024, languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=65304.

Written by Zeffs Amman

Zeffs Amman, our resident writer and globetrotter at AllThatHistory! Having grown up in five different cultural landscapes and lived in multiple countries, Zeffs brings forth a wide collection of intercontinental knowledge to activate readers' minds. His treasure trove of experiences spans roles as a historian, herbalist, perfumer, critic, entrepreneur and even mythographer to better grasp the supernatural world. Zeff's journey across the planet has equipped him with the ability to bridge gaps between different people, ideas, generations, and religions. His hands-on approach to learning through in-depth insights offers readers the tools to better perceive the complex, interconnected world we live in. At AllThatHistory, Zeffs brings the world to you — inspiring a deeper understanding of our shared planet.