If you can believe this, there is very strong evidence that human beings have been tattooing themselves for at least 5,000 years. Most of us heard the news of the 1991 discovery of the "Ice Man" named ötzi. He was found still fully frozen, on a mountain top located between Italy and Austria.
This discovery taught the scientists many things about the life that he lived, such as the kinds of foods that he ate, the kinds of weapons he used, and what kinds of clothes that he wore. Another interesting fact that was much less publicized, was that he had an astounding 57 tattoos on his body.
His tattoos included six lines approximately 15 centimeters long above his kidneys, a cross on his left knee, and many parallel lines around his ankles. Some scientists believe that a few of his tattoos were applied to relieve his arthritis, but there is no real definite proof for this hypothesis.
About 120 miles north of the border between China and Russia in 1948, an archeologist found what he believed to be ancient tombs. They began excavating them and discovered that they dated back over 2,400 years. In them they found a few very well preserved mummies that had various tattoos on them.
The tattoos consisted of all kinds of animals, different types of monsters, and griffins. The present theories regarding the origins of the tattoos is that some of them appeared to hold some kind of magical significance, whereas some of the others seem to be purely ornamental in nature.
So, if you are thinking about getting your first tattoo, mankind has been applying this kind of artwork to their bodies for quite some time now. The only limitations for a tattoo, is your ability to be creative and come up with a design that you think will suit your personality.
Today, if you can dream it, you can absolutely be sure that there is tattoo artists somewhere that can make your wish come true. There really are not any restrictions on the size or color that you want your tattoo to be either. However, if you plan on getting an especially complex design that has multiple colors, it might take more than one visit to the tattoo shop before it is finished.
The tattoo supplies that the artists use today are much more sophisticated and safer than what was available only a few years ago, much less thousands of years ago. Each time an artist's sits down to apply a tattoo they use a brand new tattoo needle that has never been used before, and will never be used again.
If you have been thinking about getting a tattoo for quite a while now, but were not sure exactly what you wanted, there are many different websites that have all kinds of unique and out of this world designs that you can review. Once you find one that you really like, all you have to do is to print it out, take it to your local tattoo shop, and you will have a whole new look and feel that will match your individuality.
