Anew

These photos of tattoos are interesting ; they seem to preserve a symbology which has some overlap with the African and ancient European, but also with the Tibetan . It also seems probable that some of the symbols would be Indian developments .

1) http://www.flickr.co...ens/2356850253/ ; includes zig-zags, flowers and many triplets of dots . The combination of triplets of dots with a flower motif is also seen on the ancient Greek kantharos cited in post 1 of the following thread : http://www.stonepage...lpment-context/

2) http://www.flickr.co...doc/7929539064/ ; a banded facial tattoo

3) http://www.flickr.co...ens/2371145879/ ; ankle tatoos

4) http://www.flickr.co...rer/3016842070/ ; a facial tattoo in which rosettes flank the chin

5) http://www.flickr.co...ens/2346441386/ ; another similar one (to 4) which also includes a dotted cross on the temple, (this is discussed in more detail in connection with photo #2 in the next post) ; the young woman is quite pretty

6) http://www.flickr.co...ain/5621525474/ ; another one (similar to 4 & 5) with these aspects

7) http://www.flickr.co...dian/389044314/ ; a sleeve tatto with zig-zags, swastikas and dot arrangements with a variety of other symbols

8) http://www.flickr.co...dian/275271828/ ; an old hand tattoo

9) http://www.flickr.co...dian/220568558/ ; another hand tattoo

I believe this was broadly practiced in pre-history, and have brought the subject up on the following threads :

Allasdale Dunes

Towie Petrosphere

The WandsWorth Shield

Lozenges & Cupmarks

I am informed by member RuneMage of megalithic.co.uk that vultures do not frequent the British Isles .

I now consider the Common Buzzard to be the most likely agent of this practice there, particularly for the male's spiraling pre-spring mating display, which i feel may be linked to the spiral symbol used in the Isles.

Here's something interesting.

The skin must be from a local (Sudanese) animal, but the pattern reminds me somewhat of the scarified landscape around Maen Llia in Wales, (which can be seen in a satellite photo).

Imagining a connection doesn't make one historically real ; but as this is a seer using the skin, his selection would (i imagine) have been a careful one . If the presence of these lines implies to him a magic, and if the tradition is old enough, it is possible (to my mind) that it was carried outward from Africa in the human diaspora and saw modified application in Wales .

I recently noticed that some Tibetan symbols bear a similarity to those used in the broader milieu.

A list of their symbols can be found at :  Tibetan Unicode

Of particular interest would be :

the svasti signs, 0FD5-0FD8 ;

the Yin-Yang-like symbols, 0FC9-0FCC ; I believe i've seen something similar to 0FCC in the Swastika Stone of Ilkley Moor

an X with dots, 0FBF ;

three small circles in an equilateral triangular arrangement, 0F1C ; I've seen many similar arrangements of dots on an ancient carved stone bull ; The Tamil symbology also contains such a sign.

a circle with four dots around it, 0F13 ;

a pair of circles above and below a line, 0F14 ;

cantillation signs, 0FC0-0FC3 ; 0FC3 makes me wonder if some of the european carvings of tailed cups within rings could have had percussive symbology.

The linked chart explains also provides some information on their Tibetan meanings.

This photo, (by Eric Lafforgue), shows a line of standing stones erected within an enclosure by the Konso tribe of Ethiopia .

As before, it is my belief that there is a good chance European Stone Age traditions had roots in an African Urkultur ; thus the study of traditional African practices may shed light on this milieu .