The Ancient Art of Tattooing

The art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years, one of the earliest known tattoos was seen somewhere between the 4th and 5th century BC. These ancient tattoos were obviously just ritualistic symbology; but they were still tattoos forever inked into the skin. Nowadays you often hear people complain about how much tattoos hurt, but by ancient standards the modern day tattoos would feel like a 1st class massage. Here are some videos showing some of the OLD school tattoo methods that were used when tattoos meant a lot more, and also explaining some of the history of tattoos from various cultures. I have also included some links to some various tattoo related articles, sites, and blog posts, both serious and funny as well as some other resources that may be of interest.

Ancient Polynesian Tattoo History

Nahual Balam Ancient Tattoo

Traditional Polynesian Tattoo

More Ancient Tattoo Procedures

This next set of videos is a whole documentary filmed in Borneo covering the ancient art, if you plan on watching through these prepare to make some time.

Here are a list of tattoo related resources I though were cool, interesting and helpful:

Tattoo Traditions – Tricia Allen is a tattooist with an extensive background in Polynesian history and this site is all about the Polynesian tattoo traditions.
A History of Tattoos – A brief history of the ancient art from the Smithsonian.
Lyle Tuttle and The Virtual Tattoo Museum – This site is run and owned by one of most famous tattoo artists in the world, Lyle Tuttle.
The Tattoo Blog – Hasn’t been update in a month or so, but it has lots of good stuff there now and hopefully they will start posting again soon.
Needles and Sins – Another A+ Tattoo blog that is updated frequently, a must read blog for any tattoo enthusiast.
Tattoo Designs – A site where you can find all kinds of tattoo flash, this one is prob something aspiring and current tattoo artists should definitely check out.
The Amsterdam Tattoo Museum
Houston Tattoo Removal – A tattoo removal site from Houston, they have some great info about tattoo removal and they also have a great blog that is updated frequently.
Tattoos.com – A great tattoo online magazine.
The Changing Cultural Status of the Tattoo Arts in America – An interesting read whether you are a tattoo fan or not.
Facts About Tattoo Removal – If you made a mistake and have a piece of shit you want removed here is some great info explaining how it works.
Tattoos: Recognition and Interpretation – Prison tattoos and their meanings.
Icons of Flesh – A psychiatric look at tattooing.