Tattoos Have Been Around Forever - 1686 Words

Tattoos have been around forever. Otzi the iceman, who lived during 3,300 BC, is one of the most well preserved mummies to exist. After being discovered, scientists later learned he had sixty one tattoos. How is this possible if technology for tattoos didn’t exist for years to come. â€Å"The word tattoo is said to has two major derivations; from the polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’.† (http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html) Tattoos were discovered by a simple mistake. Someone got a bad gash and accidently rubbed it with their dirty hand with happened to have ash from a fire pit on it. When the wound healed completely, the skin grew over the ash and†¦show more content†¦Without a doubt, tattoos have been around longer than that. When the Egyptians empire expanded, so did tattooing. Civilizations like Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia learned and developed the tattooing art. It eventually made its way to China. Greeks used tattooing as a way of communication for spies. Certain markings showed their ranks and identity. The Romans used tattoos to mark criminals and slaves which is still used today. As years passed, s o did the use of tattoos. Heavily tattooed people were known as freaks and travelled with circuses or freak shows. They were not used as religion or cultural purposes as much anymore. In the late 1700s, â€Å"the cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground.† (http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm) Tattoos first came to Chatham Square in New York City. It was the turning point of the century in the 1900s. The popularity of tattoos were declining across the world. Husband s started tattooing their wives to display their best work. After losing popularity in Chatham Square, it made its way to Coney Island. Tattoo shops began opening up in places around the world that would accept them or people who supported them. At this point, tattoos became known as ‘travel markers’. â€Å"You could tell where a person had been by their tattoos.†