Home

Contact Us

Author Guidelines

Terms of Service

New Member?

Author Login

	E-mail this article
	Report this article
	Publish this article

The History of Tattoo's

any people, in writing a brief tattoo history,
state that the practice began in ancient Egypt.
When the Egyptians expanded their empire, so did
the art of tattooing. Despite some taboos
surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be
popular all over the world. Hence the future of
the tattoo machines seems secure.

In the ancient and medieval period the people in
different parts of the world employed different
methods of tattooing. But the general belief is
that with the growth of Christianity, tattooing
was forbidden in Europe. Christian missionaries
from the west attempted to purge tattooing among
the Samoans, thinking it barbaric and inhumane.
It is believed that first tattoo might have
accidentally emerged. A legal inscription from
Ephesus indicates that during the early Roman
Empire all slaves exported to Asia were tattooed
with the words "tax paid". Roman writers such as
Virgil, Seneca, and Galenus reported that many
slaves and criminals were tattooed. One early
explorer reported seeing Maori women with
complete facial tattooing like that of the men,
but this was apparently rare. The Polynesians
allowed both men and women to be tattooed, while
in other cultures only men were permitted.

The pigments used in tattooing may have been a
certain type of berry known to have some curative
and healing effects for different ailments. The
positions of the tattoos suggest that they were
applied for therapeutic reasons. They are put on
the human body by monks who incorporate magical
powers to the design while tattooing. Maori
tribes in New Zealand believed that a tattoo of a
certain animal would allow some of that animal's
qualities seep into the wearer. Some tattoos were
prepared for simple ornamentation, others done
for religious beliefs and others still for
reasons known better to their wearers. Those who
could not endure the pain and abandoned their
tattooing were left incomplete, wearing their
mark of shame throughout their life.

The first written record of Japanese tattooing is
found in a Chinese dynastic history compiled in
297 AD. The origins of traditional Japanese
tattoos can be traced back to the latter years of
the Edo period in Japanese history. There are
written records indicating that in Edo as early
as 1830 there were formal gatherings of tattoo
enthusiasts. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska
got trained for tattooing, their technique
indicating it was learned from the Ainu. The
basic concept of tattoo has been a constant
throughout the history.

It is clear that tattooing did not become popular
in Britain until after the return of Blig's
voyage to Tahiti. During this time Bligh
detailed in his log the tattooing of many of the
crew. Rebellious boys and girls resorted to the
tattoo, based on the notion that to have a tattoo
was to outside "mainstream" society. Much more
recently, in the 1800's it became fashionable for
members of European royalty to be tattooed. The
tattooing culture hit an all time low in 1961
when an outbreak of hepatitis sent the industry
into a downward spiral.
About the Author
Jude Pietersz is the founder CEO of JP Internet
Marketing (JPIM). He is also an IT Consultant,
Web Developer, Internet researcher, Internet
Marketing consultant, Expert in PPC and SEO. Jude
also has an interest in re-searching different
topics and subjects, and writing articles about
them.