Humans have been tattooing since the later years of the Stone Age. The Stone Age is called such because of the wide use of stone during the time period. During 6000 B.C., the end of the Stone Age, approaching the Copper Age, people started getting really creative. Through creativity and innovation art was birthed. The oldest piece of work dates back 48,000 years. In today's society, we see examples of other primates and elephants in captivity creating artwork with tools. And remember, you were also taught a large portion of your skills through captivity. Other animals today are reaching cornerstones that were once important cornerstones for our species. However, other animals haven't reached the level of self-art.
1. A shoulder tattoo.
Recently, Otzi, the Iceman, was the oldest human being to be found, and has over 60 tattoos. However, they're no longer visible to our naked eyes and require special ultraviolet light to view. The oldest tattoos that are visible are found on the mummified, 25-year old Siberian-Iranian Princess Ukok. Her famous shoulder tattoo is an elegant portrayal of a lively horse with a griffon's beak and flamboyant horns.
Modern shoulder tattoos:
2. A henna tattoo.
This is a tattoo you definitely won't regret getting! It's semi-permanent, and fades after a certain amount of time, depending on the potency. Henna was documented to have begun between 2,000 to 4,000 B.C. Henna tattooing and hair dying was used by Cleopatra in 30 A.D, as Egyptians were the first to dye their hair. Throughout history, people have practiced this, as seen in places including Palestine, Spain and China. Henna tattoos have a wide range of meaning, from displaying loyalty towards a loved one to enlightening one's soul.
3. A finger tattoo.
Archaeologists in Peru discovered a tattooed arm and hand: a Moche warrior's hands were found to be preserved during 900 A.D. Men who often fought in battle and worked farms were adorned to show their work in agriculture and protection.
Modern finger tattoos:
4. A thigh tattoo.
A Saudi woman from the 17th century was found in the early 2000's in Saudi Arabia. Her preserved body was found to have the symbol for Saint Michael tattooed on her thigh. Archaeologists believe that this was done in the name of faith and protection, as Saint Michael was the first defender against Christian's Satan. Thigh tattoos date back as far as Paleolithic times, and are found to be a symbol of a great previous change the individual enacted within the world.
Modern thigh tattoos:
5. A full body tattoo or full body compilation of tattoos.
The 1850s were a time of wonder and awe as people began to indulge in full expression (or they were fully tattooed for safety precautions) Regardless of the reasons, during that time, the majority of United States' citizens didn't take to full body art. Human beings yet again deemed people with tattoos as freaks during the circuses of the mid to late 1800s. Through political and social exile, people who looked far different than the average person found refuge in circuses, where the very same people who condemned their unique qualities came to pay for a showing. Many of the best tattoo premieres at the circuses were those of fully-tattooed people. With the invention of the tattoo machine in 1891, it's safe to say we were a bit trigger happy. In 1891, "La Belle Irene" was found to be the first woman to have her entire body to be tattooed.
Modern full-body or full compilation of tattoos:
Tattooing has been part of our human history forever, and the more we develop our capacity for creation, the greater our desire to self-express. For centuries, tattooing was condemned in various countries, such as Japan and the United States, and has been largely misinterpreted in a nonsensical manner. There's absolutely no danger that tattoos on the skin of an individual pose to the viewer, and to condemn them as having the essence of evil is absurd. If what people do actions that actually cause harm to another, such as murder, rape, harassment, hate speech, etc, then condemning the actions as evil and hateful seem rather fitting. However, self-expression and decoration seem to be of no concern to anyone other than that of the individual. We, as a nation, are largely distracted by condemning ridiculous topics such as veganism, legalization of marijuana and tattooing, as though the harmless and often beneficial acts of an individual on their own self are in some way shattering your family values.
