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       Tattoo's: (Body Art)

The word Tattoo 'Tatau' originates from Polynesia. It was first written in the records from Captain Cooks Voyages in 1769.

We have found enough tattooed remains now to realise that tattooing is an ancient and widespread art. Some of the earliest examples of tattooing comes from Japan, and are found in the form of clay figurines that have faces painted or engraved to represent tattoo marks. The oldest figures of this kind have been recovered from tombs dated to 5,000 BC or older.(6)

Some bodies appear to show a correlation between the locations of their tattoos and modern day recognised acupuncture points. The Ice-man 'Otzi' was found to have illnesses related to his 'acupuncture' - Tattoo marks. They are cautiously presumed to be therapeutic.

(Prehistoric Tattooing and Acupuncture)

 

   The History of Tattooing:

 

Article: Dec, 2012 (PopularArchaeology)

'...Skin Decoration Goes Well Back Suggests Researcher...'

'Over thousands of years, humans used their skin as canvases of self-expression in a variety ways, including permanent methods such as tattooing and branding, as well as temporary, including cosmetics and body painting, according to Jablonski. But the determination of when this practice began to occur is difficult because it can be preserved only for a few thousand years. Nevertheless, while it is difficult to know when humans began to decorate their skin, some of the earliest preserved skin shows signs of tattooing, maintains Jablonski.

A recent discovery of a prehistoric "workshop" in the South African cave of Blombos, for example, evidenced the manufacture of ochre in a cave where there was no evidence of any wall painting. The "workshop", consisting of abalone shells where ochre was stored and processed, combined with fat, crushed bone, quartz and charcoal to produce a pigment compound that was possibly used as paint for painting, decoration and skin protection, was dated to about 100,000 years BP. The dating corresponds to a time when early modern humans were thought to be on the threshold of thinking and expressing themselves in symbolic ways and laying the foundations for art and language'.

(Link to Full Article)

 

Egyptian Tattoo's

There's plenty of evidence that women had tattoos on their bodies and limbs from figurines c. 4000-3500 B.C. to occasional female figures represented in tomb scenes c. 1200 B.C. and in figurine form c. 1300 B.C., all with tattoos on their thighs. Also small bronze implements identified as tattooing tools were discovered at the town site of Gurob in northern Egypt and dated to c. 1450 B.C. And then, of course, there are the mummies with tattoos, from the three women already mentioned and dated to c. 2000 B.C. to several later examples of female mummies with these forms of permanent marks found in Greco-Roman burials at Akhmim. (2)

Historical records and Hieroglyphs revealed that the many bodies from the 11 Dynasty in Egypt and then onwards indulged in the art of tattooing. Basic ancient Egyptian tattooing followed the median lines and the human body was garnished with simple dots and lines that depicted the flow of energy in human beings and the different gods and goddesses.

Written records for the mummy of Amunet who was a priestess to the goddess Hathor whose body was found at Thebes, revealed that there were many dots and lines tattooed across her body. The different dots and lines follow the flow of blood throughout the body and aimed at aligning the human life force with the celestial flow of energy in the universe. Ancient cultures utilized heavy symbolism to speak or create art. In fact circles, dots, lines and geometric patterns, we utilized to communicate or represent different aspects of culture and religion. (1)

The purposes of prehistoric tattoos among the ancient Egyptians is currently a point of contention among many historians. Some researchers believe that tattoos were used to mark prostitutes. Others think that the spread of designs over the abdomen on female mummies points to tattoos having played a more therapeutic role during pregnancy. A dwarf god named Bes is tattooed on the upper thighs of many female mummies. The presence of Bes may have been intended to further protect women as they gave birth, although we can�t be sure of the meanings of prehistoric tattoos. (4)

(Ancient Egypt Homepage)

 

European Tattoo's:

The oldest mummy so far discovered with prehistoric tattoos, dates back to the 3300 B.C. Named 'Otzi the Iceman', his body was extensively covered with therapeutic tattoos made from soot. In total, his body bore 57 tattoos, in different parts - a cross on the inside of the left knee, six straight lines 15 centimetres long above the kidneys and numerous small parallel lines along the lumbar, legs and the ankles. (3)

It has been speculated that these tattoos may have been related to pain relief treatments similar to acupressure or acupuncture. If so, this is at least 2000 years before their previously known earliest use in China (c. 1000 BC).

Pre-Christian Germanic, Celtic and other central and northern European tribes were often heavily tattooed, according to surviving accounts. The Picts were famously tattooed (or scarified) with elaborate dark blue woad (or possibly copper for the blue tone) designs. Julius Caesar described these tattoos in Book V of his Gallic Wars (54 BCE).

 

The 'Chinese' Mummies: The Tarim Basin in the Western part of China, Xingjian Province also revealed several tattooed mummies of a European physical type, most famously the 'Cherchen Man' (left). Though relatively unknown, the mummies found in the region could date from the end of the 2nd millennium BC. It will be surprising for you to know that the tattoos revealed during this age were very different from each other. As per historical records, the mummies are known to have a western physical form. Three tattooed mummies (dated back to the 300 BC) were extracted from the permafrost of Altai Mountains in second half of the 20th century. One female and two males. Their tattooing involved animal designs repertory. The designing was carried out in a curvilinear style, to make the tattoo look fascinating and appealing. (3)

(The Cherchen Man)     (Prehistoric China)

 

 

Asian Tattos:

There have been a couple of sensational discoveries from Russia, including the 'Scythian Chieftain' and the 'Ice Maiden'. 


The Scythian Chieftain is a wonderfully-preserved individual discovered in a tomb south of Kiev, in 1947. Like the Pazyryk finds, the body had remained relatively intact through a combination of deliberate embalming and the freezing temperatures of the region. The Scythians were culturally related to the Pazyryk, a connection seen most obviously in the decorative animal motifs which both tribes have in common. The chieftain was extensively tattooed, with zoomorphic designs covering his shoulders, arms, his lower right leg, and parts of his chest and back.

He also had two rows of dots tattooed down his spine, an unusually simple motif compared to his other tattoos. It is possible that these could have been intended for therapeutic purposes.

A felt cut-out depicting a ram was found in the tomb along with many other grave goods. This seemingly insignificant item was later shown to be identical to a ram on the chieftain's right arm. It is believed that the cut-out would have been used as a stencil.  It is believed the felt would be soaked in dye and placed on the skin, leaving a stain in the exact shape of the cut-out.

 

The Ice Maiden: The mummy in question is an archaeological jewel. When her ornately tattooed body was found entombed in ice in an ancient burial chamber, the find was acclaimed as one of the most important in Russia's recent history. The Ice Maiden, as she was dubbed, had survived almost intact in the permafrost of the southern Siberian mountains, surrounded by a burial sacrifice of six horses in gilt harnesses.

The Siberian Times said: "The tattoos on the left shoulder of the 'princess' show a mythological animal - a deer with a griffon's beak and a Capricorn's antlers. The antlers are decorated with the heads of griffons. And the same griffon's head is shown on the back of the animal. The mouth of a spotted panther with a long tail is seen at the legs of a sheep. She also has a dear's head on her wrist, with big antlers. There is a drawing on the animal's body on a thumb on her left hand.

On the man found close to the 'princess', the tattoos include the same fantastical creature, this time covering the right side of his body, across his right shoulder and stretching from his chest to his back. 'The patterns mirror the tattoos on a much more elaborately covered male body dug from the ice in 1929 whose highly decorated torso in reconstructed in our drawing here .'His chest, arms, part of the back and the lower leg are covered with tattoos. There is an argali - a mountain sheep - along with the same dear with griffon's vulture-like beak, with horns and the back of its head which has griffon's head and an onager drawn on it.' (11)

 

Article: (Aug 15, 2012) News.Com.Au.   (Quick-link)

'Ancient Siberian Princess Covered with Tattoo's'.

'Tattoo's as complex and abstract as any modern design have been found on the body of Siberian princess buried in the permafrost for more than 2500 years. Two warriors recovered from the same burial site in the permafrost of the Ukok Plateau were similar fantastical creatures. One had an image reaching across his right shoulder from his chest to his back.

"We can say that most likely there was - and is - one place on the body for everyone to start putting the tattoos on, and it was a left shoulder. I can assume so because all the mummies we found with just one tattoo had it on their left shoulders".

Buried with the 'princess' were six saddled-and-bridled horses, bronze and gold ornaments - and a small canister of cannabis'.

(More about Drugs in Prehistory)

 

South American Tattoo's.

In 1920, archaeologists in Peru unearthed tattooed mummies dating from the 11th Century AD. Not much is known about the significance of tattooing within the culture of pre-Incan peoples like the Chim� who tattooed, but the elaborate nature of the designs suggests that tattooing underwent a long period of development during the pre-Inca period. Studies of Chim� mummies (1100-1470 A.D.) indicate that the practice of tattooing was quite common among both males and females. In some coastal settlements, it has been estimated that at least thirty percent of the population may have been tattooed."(7)

 (More about Prehistoric Peru)

 

 

   Tattooing and Acupuncture:

There are several reports of prehistoric Tattoos matching modern acupuncture points on the body. Perhaps more importantly, the locations tattooed have been shown by rigorous analysis to match up with medical conditions suffered by the owners when they were alive. The earliest known reference to acupuncture analgesia of this kind is in a legend about Hua To (A.D. 110-207), the first-known Chinese surgeon, who used acupuncture for a headache. (10)

Probably the most famous case to date is 'Otzi', also the oldest mummy so far discovered with prehistoric tattoos, dating back to the 3,300 B.C. His body was extensively covered with therapeutic tattoos made from soot. In total, his body bore 57 tattoos, in different parts - a cross on the inside of the left knee, six straight lines 15 centimetres long above the kidneys and numerous small parallel lines along the lumbar, legs and the ankles. (3), 'Forensic analysis of the mummy revealed evidence of arthritis in the hip joints, knees, ankles and lumbar spine. Nine of the mummy's 15 tattoos are located on the urinary bladder meridian, a meridian commonly associated with treating back pain. In fact, one of the mummy's two cross-shaped tattoos is located near the left ankle on point UB60, which is considered by several texts a "master point for back pain. In addition, his intestines were filled with whipworm eggs, which can cause severe abdominal pain. Five other tattoos located on the body corresponded with points located on the gall bladder, spleen and liver meridians � points that are traditionally used to treat stomach disorders'. (9)

This is at least 2000 years before their previously known earliest use in China (c. 1000 BC).

In Egypt, written records for the mummy of Amunet who was a priestess to the goddess Hathor whose body was found at Thebes, revealed that there were many dots and lines tattooed across her body. The different dots and lines follow the flow of blood throughout the body and aimed at aligning the human life force with the celestial flow of energy in the universe. Ancient cultures utilized heavy symbolism to speak or create art. In fact circles, dots, lines and geometric patterns, we utilized to communicate or represent different aspects of culture and religion. (1)

The Man of Pazyryk (the Scythian chief) discovered in Russia, was also tattooed with what are said to be 'therapeutic dots' lined up along the spinal column (lumbar region) and around the right ankle. (3) The Scythian Chieftain also had two rows of dots tattooed down his spine, an unusually simple motif compared to his other tattoos. It is possible that, as with �tzi and the Egyptian Priestess these could have been intended for therapeutic purposes.

 

Article: (2010) Journal of Archaeological Science 37(12):3256-3262:

'Mummy in Southern Peru has tattoos hypothesized to be points for acupuncture'.

'A female mummy dating from 1000 AD. was found to be covered with tattoos. They are of two types: decorative animals and ciphers. Pabst argues that it is possible that these cipher like tattoos on the neck are acupuncture points due to their close proximity to those known today.

In order to test the hypothesis, the tattoos were examined by type. Those on the neck consisted of small circles, those on the extremities were more decorative. They investigated the tattoos using a variety of techniques: light microscopy, various electron microscopic methods and Raman spectroscopy. Analysis of the pigmented skin found that there were two different materials being used as dye: a soot based material and a plant based material. The ash based material was found in the decorative shapes. The plant based material was found on the tattoos of the neck.

Comparison of the circular neck tattoos against acupuncture charts shows that there is indeed a similarity. They would have been therapeutic, designed to relieve stress or pain in the neck and head. The argument does have merit, as those which are supposedly therapeutic tattoos are done in a different material than the other tattoos, and there is a history of tattoos as healing in this region.

This argument sets the stage for some very testable hypotheses and future research. First, the question of acupuncture sites can be addressed. The sites used for reference in the article appear to be Chinese; how would these compare to other possible acupuncture maps in non-Asian cultures? Are the acupuncture sites universal? Are there are Andean acupuncture traditions detailed in art? Second, what evidence is there that the Andean tradition of therapeutic tattooing and acupuncture actually existed in the past? Can we find evidence from art or ethnography? A quick search online revealed that they have been doing acupuncture in Peru for some time, but there was no specific history.

Future research can also address the materials used for inks. Perhaps the different types of ink were from specific plants that were meant to have medicinal purposes and that their configuration is coincidental. I would suggest looking into the materials themselves for more information on why the circular tattoos were different'. (8)

 

Extract From: (vanishingtattoo.com):

'In circumpolar cultures, and especially on St. Lawrence Island, the primary factor considered to determine sickness was the intrusion of an evil spirit from outside the body into one of the souls of the afflicted individual. These types of malevolent actions of the spirit upon the body were traced to disordered behaviour, possession, illness, and ultimately death. Consequently, and as a form of spiritual/medicinal practice, St. Lawrence Islanders tattooed specific joints. The Joints served as the vehicular "highways" which evil entities travelled to enter the human body and injure it. Thus, joint-tattoos protected individuals by closing these pathways, since the substances utilized to produce tattoo pigment - urine, soot, seal-oil, and sometimes graphite - were the nexus of dynamic power, preventing an evil spirit from penetrating the human body'.

'In both Chinese acupuncture theory and in St. Lawrence Island medicinal theory, it is believed that all ailments of the body, whether internal or external, are reflected at specific points either on the surface of the skin or just beneath it. In acupuncture, many of these points occur at the articulation of major joints and lie along specific pathways called meridians. Meridians connect the internal organs with specific points that are located either on or in the epidermis, often in close proximity to nerves and blood vessels. Evoking the Chinese acupuncturists' yin/yang cosmology, the body is in a perpetual state of dynamic equilibrium, oscillating between the poles of masculine and feminine, man and animal, sickness and health. Thus, relieving excess pressure at these points enables the body to regain its former state of homeostasis (harmony) within and outside of the body. As one can imagine, it is believed that there are many possible interrelationships and connections between organs, points, joints, and tattoos'.

The Aleuts, as well as the ancient Chinese and St. Lawrence Islanders, utilized acupuncture in medicinal therapy. Acupuncture was resorted to in cases of headache, eye disorders, colic, and lumbago. Like the St. Lawrence Islanders, the Aleuts "tattoo-punctured" to relieve aching joints. Apparently, the use of this medical technology was not confined to the North Pacific Rim, since it also reached Greenland in the distant past. Radiocarbon dated to the 15th century  A.D., the mummies of Qilakitsoq have revealed that a conscious, exacting attempt was made to place dot-motif tattoos at important facial loci. Being that these dot-motif tattoos are suggestive of acupuncture points, and coupled with the fact that each actually designates a classical acupuncture point, cultural affinity must be suggested. Besides, Danish ethnologist Gustav Holm reported in 1914 that East Greenlanders "now and then...resort to tattooing in cases of sickness." Although we are not entirely sure if Holm was specifically referring to "tattoo-puncture" in his statement, two intriguing 1500 year old "doll-heads" excavated from St. Lawrence Island illustrate ancient continuity spanning thousand of miles and hundreds of years'. (10)

 

(Ancient Healing Techniques)

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References:

1). http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Egypt/Ancient-Egyptian-Tattoos/3234
2). http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tattoo.html
3). http://tattoos.iloveindia.com/tattoo-history/prehistoric-tattoos.html
4). http://www.bluebanana.com/article.php/283/prehistoric-tattoos
5). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irezumi
6). http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_museum/chinese_japanese_tattoos.html
7). http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_museum/south_american_tattoos.html
8). http://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/category/mummies/
9). http://acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=27608
10). http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/arctic_tattoos.htm
11). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2188157/The-astonishing-2-500-year-old-tattoos-Siberian-princess--little-changed-art.html#ixzz25AxRbJpM
 

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