{"id":9517,"date":"2018-11-05T17:30:09","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T16:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tattooswin.com\/?p=9517"},"modified":"2018-11-06T10:52:26","modified_gmt":"2018-11-06T09:52:26","slug":"the-fascinating-ancient-history-of-tattoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tattooswin.com\/the-fascinating-ancient-history-of-tattoos\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fascinating Ancient History of Tattoos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Oldest<\/p>\n

The idea of body tattooing is almost as old as time. It\u2019s a concept that stems for the cavemen. The etiology of tattoo is from a Tahitian word \u2018tatau\u2019 which loosely translates to \u2018mark something.\u2019 Another possible derivation is a Polynesian word \u2018ta\u2019 which loosely translates to \u2018strike something.\u2019<\/p>\n

World\u2019s Oldest tattoos<\/h2>\n

In March 2018, the British Museum became home to what is now believed to be the oldest tattoos on earth. The tattoos were found on two Egyptian mummies that are estimated to be about 5,000 years old. The male mummy had tattoos of a Barbary sheep and wild bull on his upper arm. The female mummy had S-shaped motifs tattooed on her shoulder and upper arm.<\/p>\n

\"Oldest
The world\u2019s oldest tattoos on male mummy Gebelein Man at the British Museum (\u00a9 Trustees of the British Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tattoo
Tattoos on the female mummy from Gebelein. \u00a9 Trustees of the British Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Archeologists believe that these tattoos were created using soot and a needle made from either bone or copper. The man\u2019s tattoos are thought to have been a display of strength and virility while the woman\u2019s designs may have been worn to signify that she was a woman of importance. Radiocarbon studies<\/a> estimate that the mummies were probably living in Egypt between 3351 and 3017 BC.<\/p>\n

\"Otzi
Total of 61 tattoos identified by researchers on Iceman , a 5,300 year old mummy discovered in a glacier in 1991. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other record of the oldest tattoo exists on an Alpine mummy, \u00d6tzi. This man is thought to have been alive between 3370 and 3100 BC. He had 61 tattoos placed on different parts of his body. His tattoos were not figurative like those found on the Egyptian mummies. They were merely vertical and horizontal lines.<\/p>\n