Tattoos: the Beauty Within
Tattoos: The Beauty Within
Throughout history tattoos have been used for many different purposes. They have also been criticized for being placed on the human body. People throughout history have been assigning their own beliefs to tattoos. Some beliefs, even when strange to others, have a substantial value to the person whose choice it is to have admiration for a symbol. History shows that tattoos represent diversity in significance and opinions; this diversity is reflected through a person’s values, culture and judgment.
John Barker said, "There are different motivations in different locations at different times." I believe he has the best description of the reasoning behind tattoos. Who ever came up with the thought of placing ink under the skin to signify a moment in time, special event in their life, or whichever the reason was, was thinking outside the box. There have been many different phases of personal expression throughout history and woven throughout cultures like fabrics in an eccentric Turkish rug. The only constant that tattoos have had threw out the thousands of years, is that it is forever evolving different meanings for different people. Someone, somewhere, in some point in time has had an opinion or use of a tattoo.
The first proof of tattooing on a human dates back between 3350 and 3100 B.C. That is 5,000 years ago. Discovered in the Alps in South Tyrol, Italy in September of 1991, Otzi “the ice man” had over 50 tattoos placed in different areas of his body. Some were along his wrist and ankles. Others were placed along his back. Form the unique placing of his tattoos, anthropologist think his tattoos were used for therapeutic treatment and not symbolic like most tribal tattoos. Otzi tattoos were made by fine incisions into which charcoal was rubbed (Demetz). There is very little chance of ever knowing the true reason behind the how or the why of Neanderthal tattooing. It is still very interesting to know their culture felt it an important
Throughout history tattoos have been used for many different purposes. They have also been criticized for being placed on the human body. People throughout history have been assigning their own beliefs to tattoos. Some beliefs, even when strange to others, have a substantial value to the person whose choice it is to have admiration for a symbol. History shows that tattoos represent diversity in significance and opinions; this diversity is reflected through a person’s values, culture and judgment.
John Barker said, "There are different motivations in different locations at different times." I believe he has the best description of the reasoning behind tattoos. Who ever came up with the thought of placing ink under the skin to signify a moment in time, special event in their life, or whichever the reason was, was thinking outside the box. There have been many different phases of personal expression throughout history and woven throughout cultures like fabrics in an eccentric Turkish rug. The only constant that tattoos have had threw out the thousands of years, is that it is forever evolving different meanings for different people. Someone, somewhere, in some point in time has had an opinion or use of a tattoo.
The first proof of tattooing on a human dates back between 3350 and 3100 B.C. That is 5,000 years ago. Discovered in the Alps in South Tyrol, Italy in September of 1991, Otzi “the ice man” had over 50 tattoos placed in different areas of his body. Some were along his wrist and ankles. Others were placed along his back. Form the unique placing of his tattoos, anthropologist think his tattoos were used for therapeutic treatment and not symbolic like most tribal tattoos. Otzi tattoos were made by fine incisions into which charcoal was rubbed (Demetz). There is very little chance of ever knowing the true reason behind the how or the why of Neanderthal tattooing. It is still very interesting to know their culture felt it an important
Cited: "Tattoo." Word Histories and Mysteries. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 20 February 2011. “Painted Past: Borneo’s Traditional Tattoos.” National Geographic Channel. Sharon Guynup. June 18, 2004. Web. 21 February 2011. “The Guide.” Stefan Demetz, The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, 1998