Marking the Flesh:
Revealing the Tattoo Practices of the Nile Valley

Dr. Anne Austin
Department of History, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Abstract: For more than a century, archaeologists knew that some ancient Egyptians and Nubians had tattoos—but only a few tattooed people had been identified across Egypt and Nubia’s vast ancient history. Over the past decade, however, new technology and growing interest have dramatically changed our evidence for and understanding of tattooing. This lecture will share the stories of these tattooed people and the remarkable legacy of tattoo practices they represent—a tradition that began over 5,000 years ago and continues today.*
Dr. Anne Austin is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Her research combines the fields of osteology and Egyptology in order to document medicine and disease in the past.
Event Details:
- Sunday, October 18, 2026
- SRJC Petaluma Student Center, 4:00-5:15 p.m. https://maps.santarosa.edu/student-center
- This lecture is free and open to the public
*Please note, this presentation may contain images of human remains.
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