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Tattooing has been an Eurasian practice at least since around Neolithic times. Ötzi the Iceman, dating from the 4th to 5th millennium BC, was found in the Ötz valley in te Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. These tattoos were thought to be a form of healing because of their placement which resembles acupuncture. Other mummies bearing tattoos and dating from from the end of the 2nd millennium BC have been discovered, such as the Mummy of Amunet from ancient Egypt and the mummies at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau.
Fig.1 The tattoos of Ötzi the Iceman
Fig.2 A tattoo on the right arm of a Scythian chieftain , whose mummy
was found at Pazyryk ( 5th century BC )
Tattooing in Japan is thought to go back to the Paleolithic era, some ten thousand years ago. Various other culture have had their own tattoo traditions, ranging from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dyes.
Tattooing in the Western world today has its origins in Polynesia, and in the discovery of tatau by 18th century explorers. The Polynesian practice became popular among European sailors, before spreading to Western societies generally.
Fig.3 Polynesian tattoo
