The History of Tattoos Over Time

How old is the practice of tattooing? Probably older than what you could guess. Otzi the Iceman lived around 50 centuries ago (3300 BC) and his mummy was found with 57 tattoos on it. Most of them were straight lines, but he also had a cross inside the left knee. Fancy huh?

There were other mummies found with tattoos as well. Most of them found in the Eurasian territory. As we progress in time more advanced designs like animal forms start to appear.

Countries that have an old culture of tattooing include China, Egypt, Philippines and Japan. In Egypt, for example, archeologists found the mummy of Amunet containing several dotted tattoos over her body. The priestess lived around 2000 BC.

Another region with a particularly rich tattooing history is the Polynesia. Many consider the Polynesian tattoo artists among the most skilled in the world. In many of those islands getting a tattoo was a symbol of prestige, and even noble families would have them. The word tattoo itself is thought to be derived from the Polynesian "tatau," which means to mark on something.

Over the centuries the tattooing practice spread around the world. The Romans, for example, started using tattoos to make their slaves, so that if they fled the army would be able to identify and punish them. Later in the Republic period Roman soldiers also started getting tattoos.

During its first years inside the western society the practice of tattooing carried a stigma, as it was used mostly by specific groups like sailors and criminals. Recently that stigma is getting removed, though, as celebrities and the general public started adopting tattoos as a form of art and expression.

If you are planning to get inked and are looking for ideas, check the Tattoo Ideas Hub website.

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