World's oldest tattoos are 'hand poked' by Europe's oldest mummy Ötzi 5,300 years ago

Despite being Europe's oldest mummy, Ötzi the iceman's multiple tattoos covering his withered body allow him to still divulge mysteries today.

He was killed around 5,000 years ago in the icy Alps when an enigmatic attacker shot him in the back with an arrow, according to Daily Mail.

Though he lived between 3,350 and 3,105 BC, Tennessee scientists think they have figured out how these tattoos were created.

Some claim that Ötzi himself probably applied the tattoos, employing a method called "hand poking" in which he repeatedly pierced the skin with a sharp tool.

To determine which of the archaic procedures produced tattoos most resembling those of the iceman, one of the specialists tattooed himself.

In their recent study, which was published in the European Journal of Archaeology, they claim that Ötzi provides some of the first direct evidence of tattooing in the history of humans.

The ancient man had 61 tattoos in total, 19 sets of black lines, most of which were smaller than an inch.

It has been unknown up until this point, despite decades of research, what equipment and techniques were utilised to make the iceman's tattoos.

His tattoos are said to have been created using the "incision technique" in popular discourse, which entails first cutting the skin and then rubbing on plant-based dye.