History of Tattoos

A HISTORY OF BODY ART: TATTOOING AND PIERCING

The art of Tattooing and Piercing has been happening for thousands of years. The oldest evidence of extant tattooing on preserved skin dates to 6000 BC on the a South American Chinchorro mummy. Piercing’s have been going on since the BCE era and still have a impact on society today with more and more piecring ideas happening everyday. Bod-mod” is the growing revival of highly visual, primitive body modification practices such as branding, scarification, multiple piercing, and tattooing. There are many various forms, and techniques of tattoos. Henna tattooing is one of the oldest forms of tattooing. Henna is not a permanent tattoo and does come off in time. Tribal tattoos are the second form of tattooing. There are several reasons for the tribal tattoo. Depending on the tribe, tattoos are shown for bravery, strength and making their way into manhood.

Tattoos and body piercings come in different shapes and sizes, from the delicate to the extreme. What is the obsession with tattoos and body piercings and why do people insist on having them done? Do people just do these gestures without knowing the pros, cons, and the statistics of people who get an infection or die from tattoos and body piercing? Everyone has the ability to find this knowledge and utilize this knowledge and make a choice whether to have the tattoo or piercing done. People should know that contracting an infection or dying does not happen to everyone. HISTORY OF TATTOOS

Throughout the years, evidence shows tattoos date back to as early as 4,000 B.C. In 1991, scientists found Otzi, also known as the Iceman, with a total of 58 tattoos made up of only simple dots and lines. Scientists believe that these markings may have been used for medicinal purposes because (the markings were near or on typical acupuncture points and evidence showed osteoarthritis) “www.laughtergeneology.com.” Body piercing has been ornamented for as long as tattooing, and the Egyptians used piercings as a symbol of royalty and bravery. Some body piercings were even used for religious purposes. In some areas, tattoos and body piercings were used as a rite of passage, especially for males to show they were looked upon as adults. These rituals usually consisted of being marked or acquiring piercings through the face. In society today, tattoos and piercings are often seen as a way to express oneself or to show rebellion (they are also considered forms of self-harm, insolence, self-sufficiency, and to be a part of something, for instance, being incarcerated or being affiliated with gang members) (Scheller, 2001). Pride also plays a huge part. For example, if a man put a tattoo band around his biceps, his biceps could appear to be larger and...