Using a cutting-edge technique called laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF), researchers uncovered details that had been obscured for centuries by time and decay. The tattoos’ lines, some as fine as 0.1 millimeters, are surprisingly narrower than those made by modern tattoo needles.

The intricate tattoos of animal forms and geometric shapes were revealed when researchers scanned the mummies with lasers.

Lasers are typically used to remove tattoos from the skin with mixed results. These tight beams of light can also reveal the ink that once decorated 1,200-year-old pieces of mummified skin. Using a newly developed laser technique,