Once they were considered to be the mark of riff raff, lowlifes and gangsters but since the 1980's, tattoos have become socially acceptable in the West. They were all the rage in the nineties and today are common fashion accessories. Tattoo artists have moved uptown from the sleazier quarters and earned an unprecedented level of respect, with some of the more talented ones exhibiting their designs in mainstream art galleries. How did it all start? Read on!

History of Tattoos

The earliest record of tattooing comes from Egypt. From the land of the pharaohs it spread to Europe and the Far East. In Ancient Greece, tattoos were used to identify fellow members of secret societies and the Romans used tattoos to mark criminals. In Ancient Japan they signified social status and in New Zealand the Maori people differentiated members of different tribes by their tattoos. In Europe, tattooing was popular up until the 12th century. The people of northern Europe would often tattoo their family crest on their arms (a practice which still exists today). For some reason tattooing vanished from Europe for several centuries after the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066. Apparently, the Normans were not keen on tattoos!