Christian tattoo found on 1,300-year-old body in Sudan

SUDAN – In an extremely rare discovery, scientists have found a Christian tattoo on 1,300 year-old mummified leg in Sudan. The tattoo’s owner was buried at the Ghazali monastery, located 15km from the banks of the Nile in Northern Sudan, and was most likely one of the monks living in the community.

Archaeologists at Purdue University unintentionally discovered the foot tattoo, which appears to depict symbols referencing the name of Jesus Christ. This is only the second example of a tattoo discovered from medieval Sudan, which was then part of the Nubian kingdoms.

Dr Robert Stark, who has been leading the bioarchaeological study of the Ghazali remains, told reporters that this was a private tattoo possibly meant as a marker of a spiritual journey.