An Art older than Time

     Tattoos are nearly as old as time itself. Warriors would get a tattoo to remember a battle that was won, young boys might get a tattoo to mark there right into manhood, and some it's just tradition in the culture.
     However, back then they didn't have the machines we had that automatically makes the needle move back and forth; they did everything by hand. It took a skilled master to tattoo even the most intricate detail in a work of art. The instrument they used didn't have a name but basically it was a stick with a sharp needle stuck in it like a pickaxe. The "tattoo tool" was then dipped into ink that was usually made by mixing ashes with water and other materials. The artist would take a thicker stick and hit the tool into the skin in a repetitive tapping movement. The whole process would take this method few hours, but using our machines today it probably would've only taken 15-20 minutes.
     

 

            Admittedly this process was probably very filthy and infection was prominent in these tattoos. Nonetheless it is was still a beautiful art that was passed down through the century from master to student. Even though a lot of our methods, tools, and teachings are different from three-thousands years ago , you can always thank the ancients for teaching us the art of tattooing.

       Probably the most modern depiction of ancient tattoos is what we call tribal. Tribal is a common tattoo loved by most. It consists of curved lines that usually are fashioned to look like an animal, object, etc. To keep up with the ancient style they're mostly colored in full black but others have gone outside the box and gotten them in a variety of colors and even added modern skulls, roses, crosses, and more to the tribal. Other ancient tattoos still done today are Polynesian styles and Japanese styles.



Polynesian Style

Tribal Style

Japanese Style