| The existence of body art, AKA tattoos, is not | | | | a group of archaeologists. The one mummy of |
| one that has come to the fore in recent times. | | | | notoriety was that of Amunet, an Egyptian |
| Quite to the contrary the actual existence of the | | | | priestess. This corpse dated back between the |
| process of tattooing and body art, though various | | | | times of 1994 BC and 2160 BC. The priestess had |
| in its' origins, can be traced back for several | | | | tattoo designs covering her body. |
| millenniums. The word itself has many supposed | | | | The list goes on and on as we research one |
| origins, the most credible ones being that of the | | | | dynasty after another, country after country. To |
| Chinese term, "Ta" which translates into "To | | | | actually be able to put a particular date on the |
| strike something" and, more likely, that of the | | | | creation of the practice of body art is completely |
| word "Tatau" which means "to Mark." | | | | and utterly impossible. There is evidence of this |
| The oldest definite example of body art came to | | | | practice found in the history of America, South |
| surface recently upon a mountaintop between | | | | America, Samoa, Japan, Polynesia, and even |
| Italy and Austria, as in late 1991 the frozen | | | | Hawaii. The list is endless. |
| remains of a five thousand year old male was | | | | History also records several different purposes |
| found. This Bronze Age corpse was marked from | | | | for body art, beyond the label of art. Some |
| the waist down with almost 60 tattoos. However, | | | | societies used it for medical purposes, some |
| this particular region could not lay claim on the | | | | spiritual, and some as a statement of hierarchy. |
| only evidence of ancient body art. | | | | Today, particularly in the United States, it is an art |
| In 1948 in a region between China and Russia a | | | | form. Nevertheless, we can always take great |
| Russian Archaeologist by the name of Sergei | | | | pleasure in looking back on the various purposes |
| Rudenko located the tattoo covered mummified | | | | and examples of this art and revel in the rich |
| remains of several bodies during a dig in the Altai | | | | history that is to be found therein. Even those |
| Mountains of Siberia. These remains dated back to | | | | that utilized the Tattoo for more than merely an |
| 24000 years ago. | | | | art form will go down in history as works of art |
| In the latter 1800's Egypt, not to ever be left out | | | | themselves. |
| of the archaeological race, reported the findings of | | | | |