Have you ever stopped to think about the origin of tattoos? In this article, we will talk about the history. Getting tattooed is an ancient practice that is currently more frequent and accepted by society.
The art of making a tattoo in which a pigment is placed on the skin and inserted through a needle. In this way the color of the skin is permanently modified.
Tattoos can be seen as rebellion against the social system. Only that's not the only reason why people get tattooed, there are others. Tattoos can be a way to save skin, whether due to an accident, which leads to an increase in self-esteem.
The origins of tattoos
A historical fact that proves that prehistoric people knew about tattooing. They are the instruments that were discovered in countries like Scandinavia, France and Portugal. These materials are approximately 12,000 years old and were used for tattooing.
There are tattoos found on mummies, such as that of the Iceman, Ötzi, who is believed to have lived around 4,000 years BC. It is also known that tribes such as the Celts and Germans tattooed themselves.
Mummies dating from 2000 BC Amunet, Egypt and Pazyryk, Siberia, featured tattoos upon discovery. From what can be observed, the custom of tattooing has been present since the beginning of human history.
religious symbols
One of the healing methods and religious symbol in India and Egypt, were tattoos. As they also meant a social position or could even mean a type of punishment. For example, in the Philippines tattoos signified an achievement or rank, their beliefs said that tattoos possessed magical properties.
When the Christian religion emerged, the belief that tattoos were only for barbarians began to spread throughout Europe. But tattoos came into use again in the 16th century with transatlantic voyages.
Navigators such as Captain James Cook and William Dampier brought home indigenous people from the various lands they visited and many of them had tattoos.
Tattoos and cultural transformations over time
Initially, tattoos were exclusively for lower class people or sailors. As time went by, tattoo artists became more skilled at their art. Making tattooing become a hobby of the aristocratic class. These managed to bank with the high costs that the professionals charged.
Cultures like the Roman, Greek and Chinese, had the custom of tattooing slaves and criminals, to be able to easily identify them if they escaped. During World War II and after, hepatitis became a public health problem.
For that reason, several countries prohibited this art. It is known that some of them until recently removed that ban.
In the Guinness World Record for the largest number of tattoos is Gregory Paul McLaren. He has the 100% of his skin tattooed. Following him is Tom Leppard who was born in the year of 1934, who owns a total of 99.9% of his tattooed skin.
According to statistics, currently one fifth of the adult population in the United States has at least one tattoo.
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