There are numerous, detailed and complicated scientific or historic articles about the origin of tattoos. If you are looking for a thorough study, with complicated names and dates, stop right here and change your reading source. But if you too, like the 20-year-old me, want to get the general concept of tattoos and learn about it quickly, yet efficiently; you my friend have come to the right place.
The story behind tattoos goes a long way back: Thousands of years actually.
However, as you may have already assumed, they were chosen for whole different concepts.
Early human beings thought they could be protected from evil forces and animal attacks if they were inked with certain patterns. (There are mummies found with all sorts of odd patterns on them)
Take a trip to ancient Egypt and you would come across traditional doctors, thinking they could cure patients from their mental illnesses, only by carving magical elements on their skin.
-The Greeks and Romans used permanent body marks to identify slaves and captives, which meant: No more escape or impersonating from their part.
And then: The medieval time begins. Tattoos were not an exception when strict Christian rules started to rule and affect everyone and everything. As paintings and tattoos were considered as signs of idolatry, tattoos got banned.
Centuries passed by and Renaissance came to the rescue. It was in fact sailors who brought tattoos back. In dream of exploring the rectangular earth, they began their adventurous and months-long journeys. These men (yes, tattoos were still not common among women) would carve stars on their skins in order not to lose their way, or sparrows as a sign of returning to their home after having fulfilled their adventure of a lifetime. Those tattoos are now called “old school” style.
Surprisingly, the first tattoo machines were not created until 1981! And they were quite similar to the machines we still used when I started this profession.
(I’d like to comment: It’s a blessing how tattoo equipments have changed in recent years.)
And it was around that time when women started getting tattoos.
A phenomenon so rare, that these women would get hired to be shown at circuses around the world.
Tattoos found their way to criminals’ skin shortly after. Which is why some parents still consider getting tattoos as a poor and demeaning act. Prisoners would communicate with eachother through tattoos, either by the secret meanings behind symbols, or by informing the others of the community they belonged to.
And finally, as always, artists play a major role in normalizing tattoos and making it a trend, rather than a taboo.
It is thanks to the rockstars and subsequently their fans that tattoos became “a thing”.
Nowadays you can find tattoos on the skin of doctors, lawyers, professors, the young, the elderly, etc. And since it is considered “art”, people can choose their design simply for beauty and designing their bodies, in addition to its purpose-serving history. The equipments are being improved year by year, and you can choose between tens of different styles, thousands of artists, and millions of designs.
So if you are looking for impeccable and flawless Fine-line tattoos, with unique and costume-made designs for you, you know how to contact me.
