History of Lighthouses
A lighthouse is a tower built along the coast. In the dark, it shines a bright light from the top and gleams its rays across the ocean to help guide sailors back to shore.
Before lighthouses, fires were light at the top of hills for sea navigation. People eventually started building platforms to increase the fires’ visibility, which eventually led to the development of lighthouses.
The earliest known lighthouse was built in Egypt over 2,000 years ago – The lighthouse of Alexandria. It is said that in ancient times, lighthouses did not serve as a warning, but as entrance markers to ports.
Written descriptions and drawings of the Pharos of Alexandria provide information about lighthouses, but the tower itself collapsed during an earthquake many centuries after its construction in the 3rd century BC by the Greeks.
It is debated that another small lighthouse for a fire was the first. It is said that Themistocles had earlier established a lighthouse at the harbor of Piraeus connected to Athens in the 5th century BC, essentially a small stone column with a fire beacon.
There can be several reasons why someone would choose to tattoo a lighthouse on their bodies, and here are our top 3.
1. Leading in Darkness
Lighthouses are known for warning sailors in the dark that they are getting close to the coast. Sailors are unable to see rocks or tell how close they are to land or any other object.
If you are someone who has given your support to another, a lighthouse tattoo might just be the one for you. Support means to bring awareness and to provide guidance. Have you shown someone what obstacles they face during a dark period? Do you give them some sort of direction and guide them through it?
People who work as teachers, therapists, nurses or caregivers could consider getting a lighthouse tattoo.
2. Stability, Security and Safety
The ocean can be a dangerous place. Stretching high into the sky, lighthouses are built tall and strong, fortified to withstand the tumultuous waters of the sea. And for many years, ships and their crew would see a lighthouse and immediately know that they are close to safety.
Crossing the ocean meant that ships, and the cargo inside them, were at risk of being stolen or simply lost at sea due to a storm. The pressure that bringing a ship from one coast to another with everything intact is high.
A tattoo of a lighthouse can be seen on parents who see themselves as a safety net to their children. It’s for individuals who act as a symbol of safety, security, and stability.
3. A Path to Life
The lighthouse is versatile. It can work in darkness but also daylight. Modern lighthouses have tops made of glass. When the sunshine rays shine through the lighthouse, the tower may be seen miles away and the sailors see that the coast is close by.
Sailors would be overcome with joy and relief knowing that their journey across an unpredictable surface was finally over. They can go back to a normal life on land.
This interpretation could be the same for tattoos that symbolize “a light” in our lives. For example, people who have been addicted to drugs and alcohol have had to go through dark periods of reflection. Many of those people need to see a light in the distance that they go grow towards.
Get your Lighthouse Tattoo
Lighthouse tattoos are considered to be pretty old school, but nowadays you can give your tattoo a modern twist if you pick the right concept. They can stand for:
- Guidance
- Protection
- Warning
- Safety
- Inspiration
- Hope
- Direction
- Faith
- Home
- Destiny
- The correct path
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