History of Tattoos in the Ancient World and Modern Tattooing of Today
The first known tattoo is on an Iceman, discovered on the Italian-Austrian border in 1991, and has been carbon dated at over 5,200 years old. The modern word “tattoo” was derived from the Tahitian word “tatatau” or “tattau” meaning to hit or strike.
Tattoos in the Ancient World
● The Iceman from the Italian-Austrian border – earliest known example of tattoos
○ Discovered in 1991
○ Iceman is carbon-dated at around 5,200 years old
○ Iceman’s tattoos consist of dots and small crosses on his lower spine, right knee and ankle joints
■ These locations correspond to areas of strain-induced degeneration
■ They may have been applied as therapy to alleviate joint pain
● Egyptian tattoos date back to 2000 B.C. – considered the oldest examples before the discovery of the Iceman
○ Evidence suggests that Egyptian tattooing was predominantly for females
○ These females were once thought to be royal concubines
■ One has been revealed as a high-priestess named Amunet
○ Some archaeologists believe the tattoos were meant to ward off sexually transmitted disease
○ Some believe the tattoos played a more therapeutic role
■ A permanent amulet for pregnancy and birth
○ The tattoos were usually distributed around the abdomen, on top of the thighs and breasts
■ Abdomen – Net-like dots were applied
● these would expand during pregnancy – amulet of safety
■ Thighs – Small figures of the household deity, Bes
● Bes was the protector of women in labor
● suggests a symbol of safeguarding during birth
■ These explain tattoos as a mainly female custom
● The Scythian Pazyryk of the Altai Mountains – another ancient culture which used tattoos
○ 1948 – a 2,400 year old frozen body of a Scythian male was discovered in Siberia
■ His limbs and torso were covered in ornate tattoos of mythical animals
○ 1993 – a Scythian woman with tattooed mythical creatures on her shoulders, wrists and thumb, was found in a tomb in Altai
○ 450 B.C. – Greek writer, Herodotus, stated Scythian and Thracian tattoos were a mark of nobility
● Ancient Britons were also thought to use tattoos as a mark of high status
○ their tattoos were often of diverse shapes of beasts
○ Romans named one Briton tribe “Picti” – “the painted people”
● Greeks and Romans often used tattoos as a mark of “belonging”
■ Belonging to religious sects
■ Belonging to slave owners
■ A punitive measure to mark some as criminals
○ Roman soldiers also adopted the practice of tattoos
○ Tattoo fashion spread across the Roman Empire
■ With the emergence of Christianity, tattoos were looked on as disfigurement
■ Tattoos were banned by Emperor Constantine (A.D. 306-373)
● Native Americans, such as the Cree, used extensive facial tattoos
○ Six mummified Inuit women from A.D. 1475 were discovered with facial tattoos
■ Examination revealed five of the women had been tattooed in a line
● Lines extended over the eyebrows, along the cheeks
● Some also had a series of lines on the chin
Tattooing Tools; Old and New
● Tools that are thought to have been used for ancient tattooing
○ 1450 B.C. – Small bronze instruments resembling wide, flattened needles
○ 3000 B.C. – a sharp point set in a wooden handle
(both above discovered by archaeologist W.M.F. Petrie)
● 19th century Egypt – they also used several flattened needles
○ According to English writer Wlliam Lane (1801-1876)
○ Tattooing was performed with several needles tied together. The ink was a mix of soot or oil and breast milk of a woman
● Today’s tattoo tool is an electronically powered machine resembling a dental drill. It injects ink into the skin.
● The machine moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin
between 50 – 3,000 punctures per minute.
● The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter deep and deposits a drop of ink into the skin with each puncture
● The tattoo machine has remained relatively unchanged since the 1800’s
○ invented by Samuel O’Reilly and based on the autographic printer
■ an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison
● The ink is deposited into the second layer or skin; the dermis
● Non-sterile tattooing can lead to diseases such as Hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV and syphilis
Drawing Lines to the Modern World:
● Today, the country with the most tattoos is Brittain with an estimated 20 million designs
○ 2013: David Beckham unveiled his newest tattoo in China
■ The Chinese characters say, “Life and death are determined by fate, rank and riches decreed by Heaven.”
■ Beckham reportedly has a total of 15 tattoos
● Most tattooed man: Lucky Diamond Rich
○ Lucky holds the Guinness World Record for the most tattoos
○ He has spent over 1,000 hours being tattooed by more than 100 artists
○ Lucky has been 100% tattooed including his eyelids and between his toes
● One of the strangest modern tattoo is the eyeball tattoo
○ David Boltjes was the first to let his prison mate stab him in the eye with this unconventional, untested tattoo method
○ The tattoos change the color of the sclera (white part of the eye)
● Not just for skin: One of the newest tattoo methods is tooth tattoos
○ Dental technician/tattoo artist, Steve Heward founded Heward Dental Labs
○ He and his team of artists/technicians paint minute works of art onto dental crowns
○ The price is anywhere from $75 – $200 USD
Statistics about tattoos today
● Americans spend $1.65B on tattoos per year
● Percentage of US adults with at least one tattoo
○ ages 18-25: 36%
○ ages 26-40: 40%
● 45m Americans have at least one tattoo
● There are 21,000 tattoo parlors in the US
● Average cost of a tattoo is $45 (small) to $150/hour (large)
● 32% of Americans claim to be addicted to ink
● 11% have had a tattoo removed
● 43% consider personal meaning to be the most important factor
● 29% say their tattoos make them feel rebellious
● 31% say tattoos make them feel more sexy
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tattoo.html?c=y&page=6
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-lifestyle/tattoo4.htm
http://www.statisticbrain.com/tattoo-statistics/
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/lifestyle/4618889/Britain-is-most-tattooed-nation-in-the-world.html
http://www.besthealthsciencedegree.com/tattoos/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/david-beckham-tattoo-china_n_2948080.html
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/10000/most-tattooed-person
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