Tattooing is a body modification practice used for centuries across the globe. Because of the multiple origins of tattoos, there are several techniques and countless styles. Every tattoo is unique in meaning to the person that receives it, though often they can fit into generalized categories. Tattoos have fallen in and out of popularity over the course of history, though they have never and most likely will never disappear.
II. Specific Purpose and Need to Know:
According to Written on the Body by Jane Caplan, "Tattooing is one of many forms of irreversible forms of body alteration... and it is probably the oldest and most widespread [of these.]" Due to the age of tattooing as a whole, there are countless things one can learn
…show more content…
B.
Several tribes of Ancient Britons partook in tattooing as a sort of national pastime.
1.
In an article titled "Ancient Britons: The Most Recognizable Tattoos of History" that I accessed on June 12th, 2017, and was posted to Tattoo.com on February 16th, 2016, I learned that the tribes used ink made from a plant called woad. It was diluted with urine and water, but because of the plants antibacterial properties there was rarely ever a case of infection.
2.
We know of these tattooed tribes largely due to texts written by ancient Romans, who invaded the British Isles, and in them they described the tattoos on the Britons as making them all the more terrifying in battle.
C.
Evidence of tattoos is found not only on mummies or in text, but on the objects left behind by ancient civilizations.
1.
There have been numerous images of Egyptian women depicted with tattoos as figurines dated as early as 4000-3500 B.C. as well as in tomb scenes.
2.
Ancient tools made of bronze were discovered in Northern Egypt and were identified as tattooing tools.
Transition:
Now that I’ve told you about some of the evidence of tattoos in history, I will next discuss how that history has been kept alive.
II. Main Point II:
The emotion and expression shown
The word “tattoo” is actually the combination of words from two different cultures. The Polynesian word to strike something, “ta”, and the Tahitian word meaning to mark something, “tatau” (Designboom, 2010). The form of body art known as tattooing has developed artistically, improved technically, and changed stylistically throughout the past two centuries. Not only has the public perception changed over the years, but the methods and machinery used to create these wonderful pieces of art has also changed drastically. Once viewed as only acceptable for sailors, criminals, and circus performers; tattoos, have taken a giant leap from their humble roots. However, they couldn’t have become as popular as they have without the inspirational
I do though like my Piece it was fun to do! But some questions I have Is how to get the piece to come to life?! And who brought the idea of tattoos to life? And what region in the world does the most elaborate tattoos?
There are multiple reasons for individuals to tattoo their bodies and the reasons are usually individualistic and subjective. The experience of being tattooed is intricately bound up with one’s character,
This history goes back to as early as the XI Dynasty. In 1891, Amunet, a Priestess of the Goddess Hathor, at Thebes, was discovered. According to Taylor (1998), Amunet is believed to be alive sometime between 2160 BC and 1994 BC. Amunet displays several lines and dots all over her body. The dots and dashes that were found were found in a grouping pattern. This form of tattoo is believed to only belong to women, and usually the women were associated with ritualistic practice. The Egyptians had spread the practice of tattooing throughout the word. By the year 2000 BC, the art of tattooing had stretched out all the way to Southeast Asia (Taylor, 1998).
- In ancient Greek and Rome tattooing was used in order to brand slaves and criminals. Greeks also used tattoos to identify and communicate with spies. It was during this period tattooing spread to central Europe and tattoos were used for medical purposes such as acupuncture which would later on influence the Chinese acupuncture society.
Tattooing is the art of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, or legends by making pricks and inserting colored ink. The word itself has its origins in the South Pacific. The art had been referred to as pricking, scarring, or staining until explorer Captain James Cook encountered the indigenous peoples of Tahiti. (Wilkinson 6)
A tattoo is a puncture wound, made deep in your skin, that’s filled with ink. The tattoo is made by penetrating your skin with a needle and injecting ink into the area creating some sort of design of
Throughout history tattooing has served many purposes. The earliest evidence of tattooing was found in 1991 in the mountains of Austria. An Iceman was found, his bones dated back to 3,300 B.C. which is over 5300 years ago. His skin had signs of blue tattoos. The scientists did not understand the reasons for his tattoos, but counted fifty-eight in total. (Wiman-Rudzinski, 2002)
Tattooing was also popular amongst Maori men of New Zealand, who covered their buttocks, thighs, and faces. Maori men had their faces tattooed by a “moko“ artist, a technique that is unique to the Maori. The pattern was slowly carved into the skin with a chisel, much in the same way a design might be carved into a plank wood. Ink was then be placed in the fresh wounds to create the tattoo. The process, which was extremely painful, was typically done in stages,
The tattoo is a very old form of body modification, but in spite of that there is still a certain rejection towards those who carry them in a visible area of the body, for some it disfigures what has been created in the image and likeness of God while for others associates this with convicts or gang members mainly because they were one of the first groups to use tattoos to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. But also it is true that there is a very limited understanding about this corporal modification that could be one of the reasons why it can not be appreciated as for how it should be. However, modern society reflects the current popularity of tattooing because it has acquired an entirely artistic meaning to a social expression and a way of identity.
Attract Reader’s Attention: Tattoos are very popular among young adults these days. Some of them get tattoos to look cool, or they are influenced by other people. For others, tattoos represent a memory or incident that has a special meaning in their lives.
What used to be the property of sailors, outlaw and rock star is now become a popular body decoration for many people. It’s not just anchors, skulls, and spider web anymore, people have found plenty ways to express themselves with their tattoo. You might be thinking to get your first one, but fear of the unknown can sometimes hold you back from it. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about the process how the human skin is transformed into a beautiful work of art.
Tattoos today are recognized as totally different than what they were pictured as in the past. “Tattooing is recognized by government agencies as both an art form and a profession and tattoo-related art work is the subject of museum, gallery and educational institution art shows across the United States.” [ (Levins,
There is a long list of cultures that utilised tattoos as a form of decoration and communication (Swami, 2011). That said, within some western societies, that historical connection to the tattoo is not that strong. However the art of tattooing has seen a steady growth of its popularity and acceptance, and since the early 1990s, that growth has accelerated dramatically (Caplan, 2000; Cash, 2011; DeMello, 2000; Swami, 2011). The current estimated incidence of tattooing amongst the populations of North America and Europe is approximately 25 percent (Laumann & Derick, 2006; Swami, 2011), with one researcher suggesting those rates could continue to increase to as much as 40 percent of the population (Anderson, 2006).
Tattoos used to be a trend among the ancient Egyptians as a type of “ritual” marking. Many women were tattooed among their body with lines and dots. Sharp bone and clay is believed to be the tools used to engrave the woman with these tattoos. During this time period many slaves were also tattooed as a symbol of who they were. "Tattoos of the Egyptian World."