Tattoos. Indelible Marks as a Historical Source

The book «Tattoos. Indelible Marks as a Historical Source» — a unique opportunity to see how symbols, drawings, and patterns applied to human skin reflected historical events, cultural traditions, and personal identification. Why has this ancient form of self-expression firmly... rooted itself in the cultures of different eras? Unlike other ways to change one's appearance — hairstyle or makeup — tattoos remain on the body forever. It's no wonder that in ancient times, they were taken very seriously. For example, the people of Borneo believed that their drawings were torches lighting the way for souls in the darkness of the realm of the dead; the Greeks and Romans used tattoos as punishment; for the Altai Scythians, tattoos embodied sacred texts. And how can we explain the modern popularity of body modifications? This question the author also addresses. Studies of tattoos help to better understand the symbolic language through which people expressed their dreams, beliefs, and status. Often, these images tell living stories of our past.