by Shaheen Darr

Created on: May 10, 2008

For thousands of years people have decorated their bodies for many reasons. This could be painting, tattooing, piercing their bodies either with permanent marks like tattoos or scars, or temporary decorations like makeup.

The word tattoo' means to strike and can be traced to the Chinese word Tatau' which means to mark. It has also been said to derive from the Polynesian word ta' which means to strike something. The history of tattooing goes back thousands of years and can be seen on bodies of our ancestors who have been unearthed. Some of these bodies are over 5000 years old and they reveal tattoos on various parts of their bodies. 'Otzi' the ice man made history when he was discovered with 57 tattoos intact on his body. The Russian archeologist Sergei Rudenko while excavating in Siberia found mummies that were about 2400 years old with bodies that had animal tattoos on themTattooing in those days was probably done for religious or medical reasons.

In Egyptian times bodies were tattooed for decorative purposes. Pharaohs, priests and people of high ranking were decorated because of their status. From about 1994 BC tattoos consisted of lines and dots in a bluish black colour and signified rites after death. An example was of the Egyptian priestess Amunet whose mummified body revealed tattoos covering her entire body. Egyptians passed on the art of tattooing to other countries like Greece, Persia and Arabia and by 2000 BC to Southeast Asia.

In the 13th Century when Marco Polo travelled through India he noted that tattoos were drawn even on the idols that were worshipped by people. Tattoos in India were drawn on young women using sharp needles and black charcoal dust. Patterns were drawn on the bodies of women for decorative and beautifying purposes.

The Bindi which in Sanskrit means a drop was painted on the forehead to represent strength and love of the beloved. It was also used for religious and spiritual reasons.

Henna was another plant that was used for decorative purposes on the human body. Thousands of years ago the henna plant was being used by the Berbers in North Africa and was later used by the Muslims not only to decorate the bodies but also to colour the hair. Men used it to dye their beards so it was not just restricted to the women. Henna was used in India and in Egypt for centuries for decorative purposes. For Indians a painted body was a strong body whereas an unpainted body had no protection against illnesses.

Japan also showed evidence of tattoos in

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