The thought that tattoo is capable of expressing so many different concepts, and is therefore a means of communication, is not a new one. Writers, observers, tattooists, and the tattooed have all remarked upon this aspect.
Because the choice of tattoo is personal and reflects the desires and tastes of the wearer in a very permanent way, much of tattoo art tends to provide little insight into the lives of the artist who create it.
Artifacts recovered from archeological sites dating from the Upper Paleolithic era (38,000 to 10,000 BC) in Europe have been interpreted as puncturing tools and pigment reservoirs.
Clay and stone figurines with engraved designs that may represent tattooing have been found.
Ancient Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic and other tribes often used tattooing for religious significance as well as markers of class. It has long held religious, spiritual and social connotations both in the United States and abroad.
The three most widely recognized religious affiliations with tattooing are Catholicism, Japanese mythology and ‘modern primitivism’.
The culture of tattooing practices
