The History of Tattoos

My senior project was over the History of Tattooing, I chose this as my topic because Tattoos really interest me with all the different styles and meanings behind them. Some things I already knew about Tattooing is a lot of tribes used tattoos to symbolize things, but I didn’t know what.

Tattoos have been around throughout our history, from Egyptian times to the present day. Many people may say they know the history of tattoos, and where they originate from, but do they really? Does one know that there were reasons that some people had tattoos? There may be people who know the actual history of tattoos and body art and why one would decide to get one; however there are people who do not. To be able to understand the idea of tattoos, one should educate themselves to the history of tattoos. Although tattoos have been considered taboo and a stereotype, history reveals that this particular form of body art has been used for self expression, status and

Tattooing is not just a recent fad. Tattooing has been around for a very long time. "The current first proven incident of a tattoo dates back 4,000 years B.C. a traveler was found in Italy near Austria, preserved in the permafrost of a glacier. Carbon dating and arte facts found near him suggest that he is over 5,300 years old" (Tattoos and Design). Tattoos have been used

Tattoos have been around since 3,000 B.C. The oldest discovery of a tattooed mummy was the “Iceman”. The frozen body was discovered by hikers in 1991. The tattoos discovered on the body had no specific drawing there were just straight lines and small crosses. This led to believed that tattooing was used as a therapeutic to relieve pain. The Egyptians hold the true claim to fame regarding tattoos. It was common practice for Egyptian women of high status to received tattoos for the same sort of therapeutic reasons. “Tattooing of ancient Egyptian women had a therapeutic role and function as a permanent form of amulet during the very difficult time of pregnancy and birth” (Line berry 2).

Tattoos have been dated back to 5000 BCE. Tattoos have played the role of being badges of honor, ceremonial markings, signs off social rank, forms of punishment, and of course ways for people to beautify themselves (The Cultural History of Tattoos). Over the past years, tattoos has increased and continues to increase significantly in popularity. According to statistics, 36% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18-25 and 40% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 26-40 have at least one tattoo (Seth). While the trend of getting tattoos are increasing, the concerns of the employers starts to increase. People who have tattoos should not be discriminated because it is unethical, a form of self-expression, and art.

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)

The history of tattooing date back to the first man, Otzi, in 3300 B.C. who was found frozen in the Alps (Nat-A-Tat2) and the history piercing date back to different primitive tribes for their beliefs (Tribu). Scientists say that the tattoos he had were for medical reasons. When they found his body, they took X-rays and where there were tattoos was where his bones had started to decay. His tattoos were on his back, knees, ankles, and feet. The ink used on his tattoos was made of powdered charcoal and rubbing it into his cut skin. Many ancient civilizations did tattoos and piercings for example the Egyptians, Greeks, Japanese, Arabian and Siberians. Many mummies have been found with tattoos and are the oldest bodies to be found with gauged or stretched earlobes (Tibu). The Egyptians were also the ones who brought tattooing to Greece and to Arabia (Nat-A-Tat2). In Japan, tattoos were used for beauty, beliefs “and to mark criminals” (Nat-A-Tat2).

Egypt of 5000 years ago utilized tattoos to show an important individual. It was brought over to the West by US Sailors traveling to the Philippians. It's not necessarily a good stereotype, since as it's been stated, the idea of tattooing comes from far more than just troublemakers in any country. It has historical and cultural significance all over the world.

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.

Ancient egyptians were one of the first major cultures to create tattoos in order to define themselves and create a sense of community among their culture. Certain evidence supports the notion that for many centuries ancient egyptians have created specific markings to show their social belonging. “The earliest intimations of tattoos come from clay figurines dating to roughly 4000 BCE. These female figurines are decorated with dots, dashes and lozenges.” (“Ancient egyptian beauty”).

Without a doubt, tattoos have been around longer than that. When the Egyptians empire expanded, so did tattooing. Civilizations like Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia learned and developed the tattooing art. It eventually made its way to China. Greeks used tattooing as a way of communication for spies. Certain markings showed their ranks and identity. The Romans used tattoos to mark criminals and slaves which is still used today. As years passed, so did the use of tattoos. Heavily tattooed people were known as freaks and travelled with circuses or freak shows. They were not used as religion or cultural purposes as much anymore. In the late 1700s, “the cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground.” (http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm) Tattoos first came to Chatham Square in New York City. It was the turning point of the century in the 1900s. The popularity of tattoos were declining across the world. Husband 's started tattooing their wives to display their best work. After losing popularity in Chatham Square, it made its way to Coney Island. Tattoo shops began opening up in places around the world that would accept them or people who supported them. At this point, tattoos became known as ‘travel markers’. “You could tell where a person had been by their tattoos.”

Tattoos or markings of the skin have been recorded back to ancient egyptians. Symbols often seen for good luck or fertility were considered amulets to protect. Whether for or against, the proof is in the mummies. While the ‘Iceman’ that was discovered, his tattoos seemed to be more in the direction of a therapy to relieve pain. Today, tattoos are a regular sight in many different workplaces and religions, by the same token there will always be some people and some religions unwilling to accept the practice of decorating your body. Tattoos have been around for a millennium and most of their meanings are up to the receiver.

Humans have been tattooing and piercing their bodies for thousands of years. They are not only a means of expression but a way to appreciate other cultures, and in many cases a way of identification. Fortunately our culture has begun to adapt to these ways of expression and my hope is that it only continues to encompass many more variations of diversity whether it be race, sexuality, religion, gender, or social class.

The negative relationship that exists between age and having a tattoo best exemplifies the complexity of tattooing’s existence in today’s society. Tattoos are much more prevalent among individuals of younger generations than they were among individuals of older generations. This illustrates both tattooing’s growing popularity and its failure to gain full social acceptance. Indeed, tattooing has become increasingly prevalent since its advancement during the tattoo renaissance. However this growing popularity appears to have only occurred amongst the youth. Youth have always been considered the vehicles through which social and cultural change take place. The tattooing phenomenon has employed the youth to expand its acceptance as well. The commodification

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."