Inking in the name of
Now in its ninth year, the Dublin Tattoo Convention attracts tattoo artists from across the world. This year, 120 exhibitors from Europe, America and Asia took part.
Anne Sexton, 16 May 2012
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TATTOOING
The art of tattooing goes back centuries - and is more popular than ever in modern Ireland.
First a history lesson: you may not know it but tattooing has been with us for at least 5,000 years. The earliest recorded tattoo was found in 1991 when scientists uncovered the frozen remains of a Copper Age man they named Ötzi. Ötzi’s back, knees, ankles and feet were marked with simple tattoos, made by rubbing charcoal into lines cut into the skin.
Since they have been with humanity so long, tattoos have a rich cultural history. Tattooing has been practised across the world – the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Vikings, Japanese, Persians and the Celts all used tattoos. The Celtic designs popular today are not necessarily historically inaccurate: spirals, knotwork and mazes were used in Celtic tattoos. However, if you really wanted to recreate tradition, you’d have to forgo ink and use woad, which stains the body blue.
Tattoos have long been popular with warriors. When Romans centurions fighting our British neighbours noticed that their opponents had tattoos, they followed suit. In the 11th and 12th centuries Christian Crusaders tattooed a Jerusalem cross on their bodies so that they would be given a Christian burial if they died in battle.
Tattooing fell out of fashion in Europe after the Crusades, but during the 18th century it returned when sailors visited the islands of the Pacific. The word “tattoo” comes from the Tahitian tatau, which means to mark the body. The word entered the English language in the late 18th century after Captain James Cook landed in Tahiti in 1796. Tattooing was important in Polynesian culture, where it was used to mark important life stages.
With seafaring such an important activity at the time, tattooing became popular among sailors. Over the next 100 years, body art crossed over into high society. In a nod to the Crusaders, in 1862, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, had a Jerusalem cross tattooed on his arm and started a fashion for tattoos amongst the British aristocracy.
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