From Medicine and Worship to Art and Expression - The Meaning of Tattoos

Today, with the increasing acceptance and popularity of tattoos, the importance of this art form for self-expression is apparent. The historical significance of tattoos, however, is often not understood. Far beyond markings on sailors, tattoos have been used for a variety of culturally-significant and otherwise important purposes - some of which might surprise you.

As early as 4,000-5,000 B.C.E., tattoos were used for a very surprising purpose - medicine! An ancient man, found near the border of Italy and Austria frozen in ice (and thus named "Otzi the Iceman" by researchers), bears tattoos that are believed to have been used to heal joint pain. Their placement was over locations that appeared to have suffered degeneration, and they may have served as a type of acupuncture. This is especially notable considering that tattoos are rarely used in today's world as medicine (though there are a few instances of such use - for example, some horses lacking periocular pigmentation have their eyelids tattooed black to prevent cancers of or around the eye). This is the oldest human to have been discovered with tattoos, confirming that tattooing has been done for millennia. It is believed that tattooing in Japan goes back as far as 10,000 years, to the Paleolithic era.

Since then, tattoos have been used in both positive and negative ways. For instance, they were used to signify rites of passage and group affiliations, which have been largely positive uses - identifying when a youth becomes an adult, or reflecting a group to which a person belongs. Egyptian artifacts have revealed figurines of women with markings on their skin. The women depicted may have borne these markings for religious reasons, perhaps as a means of worshipping a god or goddess. Alternately, such markings may have been decorative and served to attract mates. Mummies, too, have been found with such markings, verifying that they were used in more than just art.

However, negative uses have existed as well, such as the Nazi branding of Jewish people. Tattoos were, as recently as twenty years ago, thought to be the province of sailors, prisoners, bikers in gangs (or others involved with organized crime), and prostitutes. Men with tattoos were viewed as dangerous outlaws and women with tattoos were regarded as promiscuous.

Thankfully, in recent years, public understanding of tattoos has shifted toward their more positive uses. Today many people get tattoos as a means of self-expression or exhibiting beautiful art. People still get tattoos for religious reasons to reflect their faiths, or for sentimental reasons, such as the name or image of a loved one. People may get a tattoo to reflect their cultural identity, or to make visible on their bodies anything of great importance to them. However, even today discrimination against those with tattoos persists, as they may find it difficult to gain employment with visible body art. Gradually, though, attitudes are changing and tattoos are becoming an increasingly accepted way of expressing oneself.