Rome: At about the same time, literary
references to tattooing in the Roman Empire have been found. However,
Christianity forbade any form of tattooing on the human body. As Christianity
began spreading through the Roman Empire, the practice of tattooing went on
decreasing. In 325 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as
the official religion of the Empire and forbade tattooing on the face. In 787
AD, Pope Hadrian I forbade tattooing in any form, and this tradition was
followed by the others who succeeded him. After this, the incidences of
tattooing were almost negligible in Rome till the 19th century.
Peru: In the year 1920,
mummies from Peru were found with tattoos on their skin. These mummies were
believed to date back to the 11th century AD. The mummies belonging
to the Chimu tribe dating back between 1100 and 1470 AD were studied, and the
study revealed that tattooing was fairly common during this period, both among
males and females.
Scotland: Evidence of tattooing in
and around 600 BC has been found among the Picts, a tribe which populated areas
to the north of Britain, now part of Scotland. It is believed that the Picts
tattooed their entire bodies with elaborate designs, using juices made from
local plants. It is also believed that this tribe got its name Picts from
the way they tattooed their bodies by making needle pricks.
China: It is believed that
tattooing was done on a large scale by labourers, outlaws and gangs in the
Japanese and Chinese society in the 18th century. In mid-18th
century, a Chinese novel called Suikoden became very popular, in which many of
the heroes had tattooed their skin. This led to an upsurge in the popularity of
tattoos in China during this period.
Japan: In Japan, it is evident that the art of tattooing existed as far back as 5000 BC. It is clear
from the excavation of clay figurines from this period, having engraving and
painting on their faces, which is believed to symbolize tattoos. A written
record of tattooing in Japan has been found, which dates back to 297 AD. In 720
AD, a Japanese text mentions the use of tattooing as a form of punishment to
the wrong doers in Japan. It is believed that this usage continued up to the 17th
century.
In the 19th century, Japanese laws
forbade people from getting their skin tattooed, but Japanese artists were
allowed to tattoo people from other countries. A number of good tattoo artists
were based in Yokohama during this period, and were engaged in the activity of
tattooing foreign sailors. They were highly skilled, and their designs
attracted several dignitaries from different parts of the world. During this
period, tattooing of Japanese clients also took place illegally. It is believed
that in the 19th century, tattooists and artists worked together to
create a tattoo. The artist would draw the outline on the skin of the customer,
and the tattooist would fill in the outline. After World War II ended, laws in Japan were modified, and tattooing again became a legal activity.
Europe-Asia: Evidence of tattooing in
Europe and Asia during the Iron Age has been found. A Pazyryk mummy with
elaborate designs tattooed on its body was found near the Russia-China border
in the year 1948, which is believed to be from the Iron Age. Pazyryk is a tribe
that inhabited the eastern part of Europe as well as the western part of Asia.
These are only some of the instances of
tattooing found from different parts of the world during different periods of
time. Though the exact origin of tattooing is unclear, these instances make it
evident that the art of tattooing has indeed been in existence for a very long
period of time.
Tattoo customs
Why was tattooing done initially? What are the
various purposes for which tattooing was done? Well, in different parts of the
world, different groups of people undertook tattooing for different purposes. Tattoos,
now popular fashion statements, were primarily done for the purpose of
identification of tribe, marital status, motherhood, gang, etc. or as a form of
prayer or offering to the Supreme Being.
The following are the purposes for which
tattooing was done among different tribes:
Inuits: In the Inuit community, men got a small cross tattooed on
their cheeks or shoulders for every whale that they killed. The tattooes would
thus serve as an account of the number of whales they killed and,
Free Download
