Tattoos. Indelible Signs as a Historical Source

The book “Tattoos. Indelible Signs as a Historical Source” — a unique opportunity to see how symbols, drawings, and patterns applied to human skin have reflected historical events, cultural traditions, and personal identity. 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 — hairstyles or makeup — a tattoo remains on the body forever. It is no coincidence that ancient people took it very seriously. For instance, the inhabitants 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 do we explain the modern popularity of body modifications? This question is also addressed by the author. 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 about our past.