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As per the found evidence, the tattoo body art originated during the Paleolithic era (10,000BCE – 30,000BCE). The earliest evidence of tattoo was found in 1988 in a cave located in Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany. It was a wood figurine whose arms had lines across the upper arm. When carbon dated, the figurine was found to be more over 12,000 years old. Researchers believe that the lines are tattoo art. Later on, in 1991, close to the border of Italy, a mummy was discovered. It was that of a man and was 5,500 years old. His body had this permanent body art, which the researchers believed had medicinal value. Meaning, the tattoo was performed in the European continent as a way of curing people.
Tattoo art in Europe
Celts traveled through the areas of the Western Europe between 1200 and 700 BCE. These people made tattoos on their body parts using a flowering plant called Woad. The specialty of the plant was that it made only blue tattoo art. Tattoo designs in Europe consisted of motifs made of spirals and knots. The designs were inspired by the events happening in a person’s life. Both spirals and knots were continuous designs, which created small motifs depicting different life events. The most prominent tattoo images were those of animals and birds.
Tattoo art in Africa
Interestingly, around the same years as in Europe, another type of art was flourishing in Africa. It was not tattooing, but it did leave permanent marks on the body. It was called scarification. The upper portion of the skin was removed and charcoal was put in there. As the skin healed, it formed a new skin around the charcoal and assumed the look of bumps. Numerous bumps made different patterns on the skin. Women and men both had scarification. For men, it showed their rank in the society, while, for women, it enhanced their sexual appeal and symbolized high fertility.
Tattoo art in Asia
The earliest evidence of tattoo on this continent hints that the art was practiced in Japan. Excavations in various areas have revealed clay statuettes of human beings. Their faces bore marks, which the researchers have found to be tattoo art. The first mention of Japanese tattoo art has been discovered in a book of the history of Chinese dynasties written around 297 BCE. As per it, Japanese men had tattoos all over their faces. From the 7th century to 17-18th centuries, tattoo art was only performed on criminals primarily for identifying them. It was only during the 19th century that people began to consider tattooing a respectable form of art.
Tattoo art in South America
Peru is the first South American country where the evidence of art of tattooing was unearthed. Buried deep into the soil, in 1920, archeologists dug up mummies bearing the body art. With carbon dating, it was found that the people belonged to the Chimu tribe, which resided in Peru in the 11th century. With due research, it was confirmed that the tattoos were made using fish bone and wood, and they were mostly inked by women.
Tribal tattoo Art
The tribes that thrived on the various islands across the earth practiced the art of tattooing liberally. The tribespeople regarded the body art sacred. Amongst the tribes of Borneo, tattoos were enough to allow a person to pass over to the other world after his demise. In other tribes, men were tattooed at different stages of their lives. It was by looking at the tattoos, members of the tribe came to know the man’s status in the society.
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