Both ancient art and archaeological finds of tattoo tools may suggest that tattoos were made in Paleolithic Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on embalmed human skin appears in the 4th millennium BC.
Both ancient art and archaeological
finds of tattoo tools may suggest that tattoos were made in Paleolithic Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on embalmed human skin appears in the 4th millennium BC.
The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date has been found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating from 3370 to 3100 BC. Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from baseball jersey at least 49 archaeological sites, including sites in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines, and the Andes Mountains.
The meaning of tattoo custom in territories around the world
Historical texts reveal that tattooing was practiced by most of the human cultures during the historical period.
The ancient Greeks used tattoos from the 5th century onwards to communicate between spies; Later, the Romans marked criminals and slaves with tattoos.
Likewise, in Japan, criminals are tattooed with a horizontal line across their foreheads when they commit their first crime; for the second offense, an arc is added, and finally, for the third offense, another inscription is tattooed to complete the symbol having the same meaning as “dog.” .
Evidence suggests that the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs used tattoos in rituals, and people in Great Britain first used tattoos in certain ceremonies. During the Crusades, some Europeans tattooed a cross on their hand or arm to mark their participation and to express their desire to be buried as a Christian if they did not return. .
In some tribes
tattoos are symbols of tribal identity and kinship, as well as bravery, beauty and social status or wealth. Tattoos are also believed to have magical abilities and can also record personal or community history.
The design and placement of these tattoos vary by 3d shirt ethnic group, affiliation, status and gender. In some places, tattoos almost completely cover the body, including facial ones intended to evoke fearsome masks among the elite warriors of the Visayans. There are also places where tattoos are restricted only to certain areas of the body such as Manobo tattoos which are only done on the arms, lower abdomen, back, chest and ankles.
Tattoos often repeat geometric designs (lines, zigzags, repeating shapes); stylized representations of animals (such as snakes, lizards, dogs, frogs or giant centipedes), plants (such as grass, ferns, or flowers) or people; or star-like and sun-like patterns.