| Because the historical and archaeological | | | | indigenous cultures at every stop along the |
| records of most forms of body art are | | | | way. Included in these notes are many |
| incomplete, we still don't know where and | | | | references to tattooing. When Banks returned |
| where tattooing originated.Tattooed mummies | | | | to England in 1771, he disembarked with a |
| provide the earliest concrete evidence of | | | | permanent memento of his voyage: the very |
| tattoo, and these have been found in various | | | | fist tattoo on a modern Western man!On |
| parts of the world, from Nubia to Peru. | | | | December 8,1891, the first electric tattoo |
| Probably t he most ancient tattooed man is | | | | machine was registered by inventor Samuel |
| the "Iceman", a Bronze Age man uncovered | | | | O'Reilly, at the United States Patent Office. |
| after being frozen in a glacier on the | | | | He began working out of a barber shop in New |
| Tyrolean Alps since 3000 B.C. A tattooed band | | | | York City, calling his business a "tattoo |
| of stripes was found on his lower back, a | | | | parlor" - the first tattoo studio in the |
| simple cross on the inside of his left knee | | | | United States.Soon tattoo parlors were |
| and more stripes on his right ankle.There are | | | | springing up all over the country. During the |
| many examples of tattooing in ancient Egypt, | | | | First and Second World Wars, different |
| the oldest found on the mummy of Egyptian | | | | branches of military adopted tattooing as a |
| priestess of the goddess Hathor at Thebes, | | | | means of mystical protection, a souvenir or |
| Amunet, who lived approximately 4000 years | | | | remembrance.In the mid-1970s, tattooists |
| ago, she was tattooed with parallel lines of | | | | began holding tattoo conventions. Tattoo |
| dots. Because of her religious status, some | | | | artists from all over the countries gathered |
| archaeologists have speculated that her body | | | | together as a group to talk shop and show off |
| art had spiritual or magical connotations. | | | | their work.Due to the conventions, magazines, |
| Others feel the designs were of sexual | | | | and other kinds of exposure, tattooing began |
| nature.Some of the most diverse, ornate, and | | | | to emerge as a form of fashion. People |
| bizarre body art was found in the mysterious | | | | started to recognize its artistic merit and |
| and complex world of Maya between 300 and 900 | | | | use it as a way to express personality and |
| A.D. For Maya, body modification, whether | | | | religious belief.Charles Darwin, in The |
| temporary or permanent, were done for | | | | Descent of Man, observed that "Not one great |
| spiritual reasons as well as beautification. | | | | country can be named, in which the aborigines |
| Full body tattoos or facial tattoos, were | | | | do not tattoo themselves." Ancient and modern |
| acquired by men and women.When Captain James | | | | peoples have used tattoos as means to a |
| Cook set sail in his Endeavor in 1769, he | | | | seemingly infinite number of ends.Today we |
| visited many islands of Pacific Ocean, most | | | | are experiencing one of the biggest revivals |
| of which included tattooing as part of their | | | | ever. The combination of technology, |
| culture. It's Cook who gave us the "tattoo" | | | | historical awareness and artistic ability has |
| word based on similar words in Polynesian | | | | taken tattoo to heights never before |
| cultures that were used to describe the | | | | imaged.The starting place for exploring and |
| practice.On board the Endeavor was Sir Joseph | | | | learning all about tattoos, tattoo ideas, |
| Banks. Along with cataloging many types of | | | | tattoo design concept, tattoo supplies and |
| animal and plant life, Banks documented the | | | | equipments. |