Sins of the Flesh Tattoo

Myspace Layouts
Myspace Codes
Myspace Generators
Myspace Backgrounds
Tattoos are seriously old school. Iceman, a mummified human body found in the Alps and dating back to 3300 B.C., had some 50 tattoos covering his body when he was discovered in 1991. Since then evidence of tattoos have been found in such disparate locales as Egyptian sarcophagi, Celtic burial grounds, and the temples of Greece—not to mention of course any college dorm in Berkeley.The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian “tatu”—which means to mark something. What that mark actually means depends on the culture doing the marking. For the most part tattoos designate a form of ritual and tradition to a given culture. Romans used to mark their slaves with tattoos as a form of status and ownership. Ancient Greece used tattoos as a way for spies to communicate with each other covertly. Oftentimes, like in the Hawaiian and Native American cultures, tattoos are indicative of an initiation rite or religious ceremony. This methodology still exists today—as getting a tattoo, whether it be in the military, a street gang, or a rock band, often means the person receiving the tattoo is transformed by the tattoo.Tattoos and the technology by which they are administered haven’t really changed all that much from Samuel O’Reilly’s invention of the tattoo machine in 1891. Tattoos are still delivered via small punctures with a needle that is dipped into ink and moves up and down the skin not unlike a sewing machine. Tattoos are permanent because the ink that is inserted into the body goes past the epidermis, or primary skin layer, and goes into the dermis, or secondary skin layer where the ink molecule stays forever.As the technology for tattoos has improved so have the designs, or flash as it is often called. Tattoo artists compete with each other to create the most kick-ass designs, and with the burgeoning popularity of tattoos since the early 90’s, these same artists have been elevated to the role of celebrities for their ability to transform parts of the body into a meaningful piece of art.Common Misspellings: Tatoos, Tattos