History of tattoos
Tattoo has a long history and no one exactly knows when it really began. The earlies tattoo was found in 1991 on a frozen mummy known as Oetzi. This was an Iceman that supposedly to have lived more than 5300 years ago. He had horizontal and vertical lines for his tattoos and till now, there is no consensus to the reason why the tattoos were there.
Some thought that the tattoos were done for medical purposes. The 57 tattoos found on Oetzi were located over various joints on the body. Some believed that the tattoos were made while a form of acupuncture was administered to relieve painful joints. Today, the same sites are used for acupuncture. Other people believed that it could be for other reasons such as social status, ritual markings and tribal marks. Of course, it could only be just some simple preference.
Before Oetzi’s find, the Russians has found bodies that were determined to be over 2400 years of age. These mummies were found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. Instead of lines, their tattoos are in the form of animals both real and imaginary. Many of these tattoos are thought to be decorative only while others appear to be a symbol of status rank.
The Egyptians have one of the most well known cultures for tattoos. Dating back to 2100 BC, discovered mummies have been found to be covered in various tattoos. Women flaunted tattoo designs that were restricted to women only. These designs were mostly a series of lines and dots around the body. Tattoos among the Egyptians are thought to have been forms of ritual markings.
In Japan, the first tattoos were used on clay figures. These human shaped figures represented a deceased individual and were found in the tombs of the person they resembled. The tattoos were carved or painted on the faces of the figures. It is thought that these markings have religious or magical significance. The figures have been found in tombs that have been dated from 3,000 BC.
Japan’s first recorded tattoo can be traced back to 297 AD and has been shown to be for decorative purposes only. Tattoo artists were known as the “Horis” in Japan. Acknowledged as masters of their trade, the Horis has also been creating full body suit tattoo especially for the Japanese mafia. Here’s an interesting video on the horimono, or traditional Japanese tattoos.
Do you know that another place where tattoo is popular is the circus? Take a closer look the next time the circus is in town. Acts are performed by people completely covered in tattoos. Individuals are renowned simply for their number of tattoos. Patrons of the circus are enamored by the extravagant and colorful tattoos of circus performers resulting in an increased number of tattoos across the world. Today, you can find celebrity tattoos leading the trend.
Tattoos can be found in history all over the world. As a representation of a variety of things such as social status, religion and many times just for decoration, tattoo does have a place in society. Whether it is for something sacred or for decoration, tattoos have last through history and will be here for a very long time.
Source: tattooyork.com
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