SUDAN: A female mummy discovered in 2005 and recently studied in detail has a tattoo—exceedingly rare for the period (A.D. 700), for its subject matter, and for its placement. The mark is a monogram that spells out the name “Michael” in ancient Greek, a reference to the Biblical archangel. Also, the tattoo is high on the woman’s inner thigh, suggesting that it was not readily visible. Curators suspect it may have been considered somehow protective.