The origin of tattoos

The original word for tattoo is said to be Polynesian in origin and is said to mean putting a mark on something. There several religions and tribal groups where a tattoo is made an important part of the practice thereof, where each follower has a specific tattoo mark on their body to show their part and authority within the particular movement. Most cultures in the world practiced many forms of body art from body piercing to painting parts of the body.

Tattoo Artist Working

There have been many mummified bodies that have been dug up in the last few years that have been found to have tattoo markings on them. One of the most famous was a 5000 year old frozen but well preserved body of a Siberian that was discovered in the Alps which had 57tattoos. A Scythian chief’s body was also discovered having tattoos of a donkey, a ram and a deer on his body. The Egyptian priestess Amunet who existed some time in the past had tattoos on her arms, legs and below the navel. In Japan were found clay figurines that had been painted with tattoo markings as well.

Old Testament times

During the Biblical times of the Old Testament the art of tattoo was considered pagan since it became a form of deity worship. But there are some historians who suggest that Moses preferred tattooing as a way of commemorating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Roman writer from that time record that slaves and criminals were marked with special tattoos on their bodies.  This all change when Constantine became emperor and banned the putting of tattoos on the faces which was popular with convicts, slaves and gladiators. There are records of a monk in the late fifth century who had a tattoo on his thigh. There even records that say that in the sixth century there are Christians who had tattoos of the cross or Christ’s name on their arms. Crusaders, upon arriving in the Holy Land, have a tattoo of a small cross on their hands or arms to signify their desire for a Christian burial.

A long time ago, tattoos were done as a right of passage, marks of status and rank, signs of religious and spiritual devotion, served as a medal fro bravery, a mark of fertility, love, punishment, protection, a well as the mark of an outcast, slave and convict. During the holocaust it was also used to brand Jews in concentration camps. Many sailors from Europe used to sport the picture of the crucifixion of Christ tattooed on their backs from protection from flogging since it used to be considered a crime to defile Christ’s image.

Cosmetic tattoos

Today all that could have changed because they are applied for cosmetic and aesthetic purposes to show affiliation with a certain group. For others it is simply a form of expression. It can also be used as a permanent makeup to enhance the look of someone’s lips, eyes, and at times to cover blemishes on a person’s skin.

It sometimes becomes a disadvantage when tattoos are placed in conspicuous areas in the body as when coupled with other forms of body modification, they can reduce chances of getting some decent employment. This may well depend on the different rules and regulations of a company, but they are generally seen as giving some unprofessional appearance.  There some cultures who view sporting tattoos as being associated with criminal activities or belonging to underground groups like the Mafia. Still some cultures do not favor women with tattoos because they consider them to be associated with tramps and other degrading occupations.

Common ancient and modern tattooing methods

In the past some tribal cultures created tattoos by cutting the design into the skin and rubbing the wound with the ink, ashes or other agents. Some made them by hand by tapping the ink into the skin using some sharpened sticks, animal bones or needles. In Japan it is reported that they still use the traditional method of manually inserting ink using bamboo or steel needles.

Today with technological development the most common method used is the electric tattoo machine that inserts the ink into the skin using a group of needles that oscillate at the rate of 80 to 150 times a second rapidly poking the needles in and out of the skin. This happens to be the most sanitary since the needles used are package individually and are disposable.

The first tattoo machine was invented by Samuel Reilly in 1891 and was patented on the rotary technology of the electric engraving device made by Thomas Edison. Today’s modern tattooing machines use electromagnetic coils that was first discovered by Thomas Reilly and improved by Alfred Charles in 1899.

The dyes and pigments used

The dyes and pigments of the ancient times were also different from what is being used currently. Then they used to have a mixture of colors that was quite limited to colors that were only available naturally. Today there are a wide variety of dyes and pigmentations to opt from that are made from inorganic materials like iron oxides, azo dyes, and quinoline derivatives, this to add to dyes made from ash and other mixtures. The most common are iron oxides although of late the use of backlight reactive pigment is becoming popular as the chameleon tattoo ink.

Where to do your tattoo

You should make sure you go to a tattoo studio that is well equipped with the necessary safety and sanitary equipment and that uses biohazard precautions on the instruments. The tattoo artist should follow the strictest standards of hygiene especially when they are dealing with clients just to prevent chances of contamination and spreading of disease. As for minors, there may need to produce parental approval and those with skin conditions, pregnant, and other illnesses should be careful that they don’t contraindicate the pigments or the needles used to put on the tattoos.