High-resolution imaging of a 2,500-year-old Siberian “ice mummy” has revealed highly intricate tattoos that modern tattooists would find difficult to replicate.

The tattoos—featuring leopards, a stag, a rooster, and a mythical griffin—were found on a woman from the Pazyryk culture, a nomadic warrior people of the Eurasian steppe.

Using near-infrared scans, researchers discovered crisp, detailed designs likely created with animal bone or horn tools and soot-based pigment.

The study suggests tattooing was a skilled, professional practice with cultural significance in life but little role in death, the BBC has reported.

The findings were published in the journal Antiquity.

Written by B.C. Begley