A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding. 3300 BC- In 1991, after one of the warmest summers in recent history, in the Alps between Austria and Italy, two hikers came across a body that was beginning to emerge from the melting glacial ice. The 35 year old man that had emerged would turn out to be the oldest mummy ever recovered and is also the earliest known tattooed human being. Diagram of Tattoo Researchers found the presence of 59 separate tattoos. 2160 BC- During the course of the Middle Kingdom, the first evidence of Egyptian tattooing enters the archaeological record. That evidence takes the form of actual tattoos preserved on a mummy from Thebes. Her body was tattooed and her neck was loaded with necklaces and bead collars. Her tattoos comprise a series of abstract patterns of individual dots or dashes placed upon her body. 1000 BC- Henna has been used to adorn young women’s bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations. The earliest civilizations to have used henna include the Babylonians, Assyrians, Sumerians, Semites, Ugaritics and Canaanites. Women typically have markings consistent with henna on their nails, palms and soles. 500- Pilgrims tried to ban tattoos but this powerful ban could not completely eradicate tattooing from either Europe or the Middle East. Tattooing worked its way back into these religions, by way of their holy pilgrims. In the Middle Ages, people would leave their European villages on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The only way to prove that you had actually been to the Holy Land was to return with a tattoo from the Coptic priests. 1122- Tattooing in China is called Ci Shen, a term that means literally “puncture the body.” Although the art has been known in China for ages, it has for the most part been an uncommon practice. Throughout Chinese history tattooing has been seen as a defamation of the body, something undesirable. The most famous tattoo in Chinese history comes from the legend of the Chinese general Yueh Fei. Yue's mother tattooed jìn zhōng bào guó ( "serve the country with the utmost loyalty") across his back before he left home to join the army in 1122. 1600- The Japanese word irezumi refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark, in other words, tattooing. Until 1600 in Japan, tattooed marks were still used as punishment. It was in the Edo period (1600-1868 AD), however, that Japanese decorative tattooing began to develop into the advanced art form it is known as today. 1870- In 1870, the first American tattoo shop opened. The most popular designs in traditional American tattooing evolved from the artists who traded, copied, swiped and improved on each other’s work. Several tattoo artists found employment in Washington, DC during the Civil War. The best known tattooist of the time was German born Martin Hildebrandt, who began his career in 1846. In 1870, Hildebrandt established an “atelier” on Oak Street in New York City and this is considered to be the first American tattoo studio.
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