Tattoos are a hot topic today. People get tattoos for many reasons. Millions of styles have been and are being implemented. But tattoos are not something new. They have been around for ages.
In reality, nobody can say when the history of tattoos began. The oldest known tattoo was discovered in 1991. Was found on a mummy known as Oetzi, an Iceman dated, at least, 5,300 years old. His tattoos consist of horizontal and vertical lines. There is some debate as to why the tattoos are there.
The most common idea is that the tattoos were done for medicinal purposes. fifty-seven of Oetzi tattoos are in various joints of the body. The idea is that the tattoos were made while a form of acupuncture was administered to relieve joint pain. Today, the same sites are used for acupuncture. Other ideas range from social status and ritual markings to tribal marks or simple preference.
Prior to finding Oetzi, the Russians excavated bodies that were determined to be over 2400 years old. These mummies were found in the Altai mountains of Siberia. Instead of lines, their tattoos in the form of real and imaginary animals. Many of these tattoos are believed to be merely decorative, while others seem to be a symbol of status rank.
The Egyptians have one of the most well known cultures for tattoos. It goes back to 2100 BC, discovered mummies have been found to be covered with various tattoos. Women tattoo designs exhibited were confined to women. These designs were mostly a series of lines and points throughout the body. Tattoos among the Egyptians are believed to have been forms of ritual markings.
In Japan, tattoos were first used on clay figures. These human shaped figures represented a deceased individual and were found in the tombs of the person looked like. 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 have been dated between 3,000 BC.
Japan's first documented tattoo is 297 AD and has been shown that for decorative purposes only. Tattoo artists were known as the "Horis in Japan. The Horis were recognized as masters and eventually created the full body tattoo suit.
Many years later, tattoos became widely popular in the circus. Acts are performed by people completely covered in tattoos. Individuals are recognized only by their number of tattoos. The sponsors of the circus are enamored with extravagant and colorful tattoos of circus performers resulting in an increased number of tattoos across the world.
Tattoos have been found in the history of the world. Have determined that a representation of a variety of things such as social status, religion and many times just for decoration. Found in men and women alike, tattoos are discovered in every shape, size and color pattern imaginable. Whether it has been found to be something that once held sacred or are only for decoration, tattoos have been around for centuries and will remain around for ages to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment