Description

This article is from the Tattoo FAQ, by Stan Schwarz with numerous contributions by others.

127 When Did Tattooing Start?

Paraphrased from the Globe and Mail (Toronto's National Newpaper):
"A 4,000 year old man has been found in Italy near the Austrian border,
(originally it was reported he was in Austria, but both countries now
agree he is in Italy.) Carbon dating will take a few months, but
artifacts found near him strongly suggest that he is over 4,000 years
old...He is also tattooed...a small cross is behind one knee and above
his kidneys there are a series of lines, about 15 cm long."

[Apparently, this account it not quite correct, as later datings placed
the Ice Man's age at closer to 5,300 years.]

Now I knew that the Egyptians tattooed each other, but that was only
3,000 years ago. I wonder how much further back this custom goes?

From "Tattoo You" by Steve Wind (Off Duty Hawaii Magazine, October '92):
"The first Western references to tattoos didn't come until 1771, when
Captain Cook brought the word to Europe after seeing the artform in
Tahiti. Tattoos were associated with the lower class and criminal
elements in Britain and America until the early 1900s when, drawn by a
sense of freedom, decadence and sexual liberation, upper classes began
wearing them as well."

The word "tattoo" apparently comes from the Tahitian word "tatau," which
was onomonopoetic for the sound their tattooing instrument made. The
word was brought back by Captain Cook.

Continue to:

• prev: 126 Kanji [Chinese/Japanese] Characters
• Index
• next: 128 How Does A Modern Tattoo Machine Work?