The History Of Tattooing

The History of Tattoos dates back many thousands of years and is a very interesting and remarkable story. The very first real evidence of tattooing was found on a mummy in Africa, a priestess identified as Amunet-Kanika. This find dates back more than five thousand years and proves that the people of Africa have been tattooing much longer than most historians had first thought. Some tattooing has been dated as far back as 3300 BC. During Neolithic times, it is believed that tattooing was used chiefly for curative value. Mummies dating back to 300 BC have been found with tattoos as well. These tattoos usually pictured animals and were sometimes considerably detailed.

In ancient Greece, the military used to use tattoos as a method of secret identification and communication between spies. The markings also helped to distinguish between the different rankings of spies. For security reasons this information could not be kept track of in any other way. These tattoos were not very elaborate and were nothing like the tattoos of today. Criminals were also tattooed with specific permanent symbols, as well as those who served as slaves.

In different parts of ancient Asia, tattoos were used for a number of different reasons. Girls were marked when they came of age, then taken and married off. Tattoos were also used to signify rankings in society. Those who were unfortunate enough to be slaves were marked differently than those who were in the military and so forth. Each Asian country had different traditions, but most all of them included tattooing, even though it may have been only a small percentage the population. These ancient Asian peoples were certainly a part of original tattoo history as is evidenced by how far back their art can be traced.

Tattooing has been prevalent in Polynesian culture for over a thousand years, and was being practiced long before any Europeans arrived on their islands. Polynesian tattooing is an ancient art that was much more intricate than the tattoo designs that we are familiar with today…and applied without the benefits of modern tattooing equipment. Polynesian tattoo art increasingly evolved over the span of years, becoming incredibly elaborate with magnificent designs of a geometric nature. These tattoos would be restored as well as expanded upon throughout the individuals lifespan with the expectation of covering the entire body.

If you have ever been out west, chances are that you already know Native American history is rich in body art. Most native peoples of the Americas practiced tattooing to some extent. It served a variety of purposes depending on location, gender, and the state of intertribal relations. Tattoos held different meanings for different tribes. In the Northwest, from California to Washington, tattoos identified a woman’s village. In Alaska certain tattoos indicated that a man had killed an enemy in battle, and among the Yokuts of California tattoos marked the location of a person’s supernatural power. As is the case in other parts of the world, Native American tattooing reflected ( and reflects) a variety of concerns and attitudes related to the human body.

It wasn’t until sometime around 1000 AD that tattooing became introduced to the western world. Many of England’s kings had tattoos, but the first to be actually documented was King Harold II that ruled from 1022 AD - 1066 AD. It is a fact that he had the words "Edith," which was the name of his concubine, and "England" tattooed across his chest. Tattooing created additional interest in Great Britain when Sir Martin Frobisher brought a man, woman, and child back with him from the northwest passages of China. The woman was tattooed on her forehead and chin, which proved to be quite amusing to Queen Elizabeth I. Despite the fact that some royalty was known to be tattooed and to be interested in the practice, tattooing didn’t gain momentum until Captain James Cook and his men returned home from a trip to the south Pacific with tattoos. The men chose to get tattoos as a souvenir of the tattooed people they met on their trip. Cook is also credited as being the first person to use the word "tattoo." This word was derived from the word the indigenous people used to describe their artwork, which Cook wrote in his diary as "Tattow." This practice of getting tattooed while away at sea quickly caught on with sailors and the tradition of getting tattooed while away at sea still holds true today.

The birth of the traditional American tattoo started in Chatham Square, New York City circa 1908. It is widely believed that a wallpaper designer named Charlie Wagner put his artistic skills to use and created the first real American tattoo. It was primitive and so were the methods taken to create it, but it was the first of the millions of body art pieces that we are now familiar with. From this point, the pace picked up. Chatham Square became the tattoo Mecca of the USA, and people got tattoos for many reasons. If you have heard of permanent makeup tattoos, you are might not be aware that this is nothing new. In the early 1900s when tattoos first gained popularity in popular culture, women were having blush, eyeliner and other cosmetic things permanently tattooed on themselves. Art was the "in" thing back then and represented a man’s status. Many women had works of art designed by their husbands tattooed on them, and that was the start of using tattoos as a form of artistic expression.

There are a number of religions that look down upon tattoos. According to the strict interpretations of Jewish law, tattooing is prohibited. Leviticus 19:28 states: "Do not make gashes in your skin for the dead. Do not make any marks on your skin. I am God." Some Christians also believe the verse of Leviticus 19:28 and therefore they frown on tattooing as well. On the other hand, Revelation 19:16 tells us that Christ has words permanently etched on his thigh: "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords." In addition, Christian Copts have been known to use tattoos as a form of protective talisman. Most Sunni Muslims also believe that tattooing is forbidden because inking the skin is an attempt to change something that has been created by Allah. However, some Islamic religious scholars believe tattooing is an acceptable practice.

There are as many reasons why people get tattoos as there are people who have them. Some people do it for personal or relationship reasons, and others do it as an artistic way of self expression. Some people get tattoos just to be cool and others get tattoos to commemorate people, places, and events that they want to treasure forever.

Of the upmost importance when a person decides to get a tattoo is choosing the right design. One must always be mindful that this is going to be, more or less, a permanent inking of the skin…unless one wishes to go through the physical and financial pain of having the tattoo removed.

A person can draw up their own design…but for that there are artistic skills needed that not all of us possess. Many people choose their designs from the tattoo flash offered in tattoo shops. These are usually designs from some of the best artists in the industry. Unfortunately, these designs are distributed to thousands of shops across the country leading to hundreds of people having the same tattoos. Another choice for getting designs is the internet. Here you can find a tattoo design extravaganza. Sites loaded with designs from little known artists as well as more prominent ones…designs you won’t find anywhere else. This is where a person can find a truly unique design they can be happy with and proud of for the rest of their lives.