The Origins Of The Tattoo

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.

Before one can truly understand the stance of an argument, you have to understand the topic. After carefully reviewing reliable resource it was discovered that the art of tattooing can easily be dated back to the 4th millennium BC (Before the Common Era) mummified bodies discovered in ancient Egypt. Archeologists found themselves identifying tribes as well as historical information the marking and body tattooing. It became clear and concise that ancient rulers would brand their bodies to inform others of their rank and accomplishments, whereas other royal family alleged that tattoos meant magical talents. On the other hand, tattoos replicate a standout amongst the most trustworthy known categories of communication.

Tattoos have been around since 450 BC, it was used to mark the criminals and those fallen from social grace. But since then or since the Europeans discovered the “New World” and the tattooed tribes, its concepts has changed many times. You could classify the different changes in six eras in the tattoo history; the colonist or pioneer Era, the circus or carnival Era, the working-class era, the rebel era, the new age era and presently the supermarket era. The colonist or pioneer era was between the 1760s and 1870s is when the Europeans discovered tattoos amongst Native American tribes such as Hawaiians and Borneans whose tattoos had spiritual meaning, it was a way to protect themselves from physical harm and snakebite. But after their introduction with the Europeans

The Torah, or the law of God as revealed to Moses, states the following: “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord (Tattooing).” It is in the latter half of the previously noted verse that the general prohibition of tattooing

Tattoos have been prevalent in Polynesian culture for over 2,000 years. (PBS.org) This is where the modern tattoo first originated, getting its name from the Polynesian word "tatau", and where it has thrived as a cultural tradition of honor and courage. In Samoa, tattoos are given by hand, and the trade is passed down from father to son after years of practice and apprenticeship. Tattooing begins when a male of noble rank, such as a chief, hits puberty and marks his status for all to see. This traditional ceremony leaves indelible marks symbolic of the courage and the dedication to the culture needed to endure the pain. Samoan culture marked any man a coward, forever marked with his shame, if he did not receive a tattoo or complete the one that was started. In Hawaii tattoos were used to represent levels of distinction and also to aid people in their spiritual well-being. Some of the most common tattoos or kakau were images of the lizard which was revered and feared by the Hawaiian people and the crescent fan that marked the highest ranking members of society. Many intricate woven patterns that mimicked nature were used, but the exact meanings of these markings were lost because of the secrecy involved in the art of tattooing. The idea that tattooing was a secret art shows the importance of this ritual to Hawaiian society, and the Kahunas who administered the tattoos

Until 1991, the earliest evidence of tattoos we had were, for a long time, Egyptian, and were present on several female mummies dated to c. 2000 B.C.-that was, at least, until the discovery of the Iceman, who was dated back 5,200 years ago. These earliest tattoos were small dots and crosses placed at knee and ankle joints, as well as the lower spine, to reduce joint pain-in essence, the first tattoos were therapeutic. The mummies found with tattoos were all female, suggesting the practice was female-only, and while the first mummies were dismissed by the (male) excavators as women of dubious status, one tattooed

From soldier to civilians, entrepreneurs to the homeless, students to professors. What do some of these groups have that ties them together? The simple answer is tattoos, anybody can have a tattoo regardless of social status, it is the permanent representation of something the owner wanted to have with them permanently, a precious memory, a memorial to lost family, or a representation of overcoming an adversity they were faced with. Now there are many ways to get a tattoo, some will opt for traditional tribal methods involving a spike dipped into ink and repeatedly hammered to put the ink into your dermal layer, or hand poking the ink in with a bamboo shoot to make intricate shading and colors. But the method we will focus on is the American

Throughout history, people have used, invented, and modified ways of permanently inking the skin. Tattooing is believed to have begun in the Neolithic Era, also known as the New Stone Age, which was between 4,500 and 2000 B.C. The very first tattoo discovered was on a mummy located in South America. There are four main methods sued globally in order to create tattoo, though there are many more that aren't generally recognized. Currently in use are machines, bamboo handles, the striking stick and rake, and the metal tube. In this essay, these methods and their origins will be thoroughly explained.

People have used tattoos to express themselves since the beginning of time. According to the Journal of Archaeological Sciences, the oldest tattooed human was dated between 3370 and 3100 BC. There have been discoveries of other tattooed mummies ranging from Western China all the way to Egypt. Historically, the art of tattoos has been an integral feature of human life, art, and culture. So it would seem unwise to purposefully discriminate against people who partake in an ancient tradition as

In the past some countries used tattoos as a way to identify social status. In Balkans, aristocrats used tattoos as a way to separate themselves from the lower classes. These aristocrats usually used family crests for their tattoos, but sometimes names were also included ("History of Tattoos"). In the Mediterranean region, tattoos were used to identify criminals. These tattoos would include the crime, punishment, and the names of the criminal’s victims. These tattoos were usually located on a part of the body that was very obvious, such as the face or arms (Libal, 2013). In ancient Greece and Rome, tattoos were used to identify slaves that could not become citizens. Even if they had enough money to buy their freedom, slaves with tattoos would not be freed because tattoos were permanent marks of guilt. Having a tattoo in ancient Greece and Rome was considered degrading (Lineberry, 2007). Primitive people used tattoos as a way to identify whether someone was a friend or a foe. When traveling and hunting, these marks helped prevent unnecessary fighting and they helped keep clans safe (Bryan,

The first tattoo known to man, was found on Otzi, the “Iceman“, in 1991. Otzi himself is from around 4,000 B.C. Fifty-eight tattoos were found on him, they were all made of lines and dots. No real symbolism could be made out of the designs. But scientists have a theory that these tattoos were part of some sort of medical or spiritual healing process.

In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest known examples were for a long time Egyptian and were present on several female mummies dated to c. 2000 B.C. But following the more recent discovery of the Iceman from the area of the Italian-Austrian border in 1991 and his tattoo patterns, this date has been pushed back a further thousand years when he was carbon-dated at around 5,200 years

Tattoos started off in the late BC as “tatu”. The word tatu derives from the word “to mark something”. Tattoos have long been embedded in cultural and traditions and were worn with pride.Tattoos were once seen as dignity and rank. However now they are regarded with negativity and snide remarks.

Furthermore, as well as piercings, tattoos has also been around for a long time since dating back to the B.C. age back then it was used as a mark to tell social status, if the person is a criminal or not, etc. but in today 's world, we use them as a form of creativity.

Tattoos weren’t always viewed as an expression of culture or personality. In ancient Rome and Greece, they were used to mark prisoners. People with tattoos were known as lesser beings in most early societies because of those uses. In Japan, they