Where Did Tattoos Begin?
The history of tattoos is not exactly known but what we do know is they date as far back as 2000 BC as they have been found on Egyptian and Nubian Mummys of the period.
Romans used tattoo designs to mark criminals and slaves and after the advent of Christianity tattoos were outlawed in Europe although the art of tattooing continued in the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world.
Native American Indian Tribes tribes customarily tattooed the body or the face, or both. The usual technique was simple pricking, but some California tribes introduced colour into scratches
Many Arctic and Subarctic tribes, most Eskimos, made needle punctures through which a thread coated with pigment (usually soot) was drawn underneath the skin. In Polynesia, Micronesia, and parts of Malaysia, pigment was pricked into the skin by tapping on an implement shaped like a miniature rake.
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Tattooing was reintroduced to Europeans by way of contact with Native American Indians and Polynesians. The word tattoo itself was introduced into English and other European languages from Tahiti, where it was first recorded by James Cook's expedition in 1769. Tattooed Indians and Polynesians, and later Europeans tattooed abroad, attracted much interest at exhibits, fairs, and circuses in Europe and the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, released U.S. convicts and British army deserters were identified by tattoos, and later the inmates of Siberian prisons and Nazi concentration camps were similarly marked with tattoo designs.
Members of 20th-century street or motorcycle gangs frequently identify themselves with a tattooed design. During the late 19th century, tattooing had a short vogue among both sexes in the English upper classes. Tattooing is moribund or extinct in most parts of the world, except for special medical applications and Euro American and Japanese types, which were the subjects of a renewal of interest in the 1990s.
In recent times the practice had gained popularity with many cultures. You may find just about anyone from any walk of life may have a tattoo either hidden or in a prominent position.