The Anthropology of Tattooing with Aaron Deter-Wolf - Ep 32
About this episode
David Ian Howe interviews archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf about the cultural significance and archaeological insights of tattooing throughout history.
In this episode, David sits down in Nashville with archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf, a leading researcher in the archaeology of tattooing and co-editor of Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing. They explore how tattoos function as deep cultural expressions across human societies, from Ötzi the Iceman’s 5,000-year-old tattoos to newly documented tattooed mummies in Peru. The conversation dives into experimental archaeology, ancient tattoo tools made from bone and stone, and what tattoos can reveal about identity, belief, and social structure in the past. Together they discuss how tattoo traditions changed under empires, how archaeologists identify tattooing in the archaeological record, and why body modification may be one of humanity’s oldest cultural universals.
People in this episode
Host: David Ian Howe
Guest: Aaron Deter-Wolf
Topics covered
- tattooing
- archaeology
- cultural expressions
- identity
- body modification
- ancient tools
Keywords
- tattoos
- archaeology
- cultural identity
- body modification
- ancient history
- Ötzi
- tattoo tools
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing
Places: Nashville, Peru
More episodes of Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe
- New Dog Studies and New Dog Course! - Ep 35
- Monte Verde Discussion Panel with Drs. Shane Miller, Spencer Pelton, Jesse Tune, and Carlton Gover - Ep 34
- BREAKING NEWS - Monte Verde is no longer a pre-Clovis site, with Dr. Todd Surovell - Ep 33
- David's Trip to Mexico - Ep 31
- Dogs, Death, and Mourning in Human Culture - Ep 30
- The History of Dogs: Evolution, Archaeology, and Mythology - Ep 29
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ethnocynology with David Ian Howe podcast page.