Tribal Shoulder Tattoo

Best Tribal Shoulder Tattoo
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Tribal Shoulder Tattoos - Then and Now

Tribal tattoos are perhaps the oldest form off tattooing. It has been practiced since the Neolithic Age in Eurasia. The oldest human specific ever discovered is Otzi the Iceman who is thought to have lived around 3,300 BC in the alpine area of what is now the border between Austria and Italy. Upon closer investigation it was found that the corpse of Otzi has up to 57 tattoos on his body. Many of them are only simple dots and lines.

Otzi is not the only ancient corpse to have been discovered with tattoos. Several other, specifically mummies, have been found with tattoos that date back to the second millennium BC. Examples of these are the mummies from the burial grounds at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau and the Mummy of Amunet from Ancient Egypt. The tattoos found on the Mummy of Amunet may be related to the religious mysticism surrounding Amunet. Otzi and the Pazyryk mummies are possible examples of ancient tribal shoulder tattoos and markings.

Tribal tattoos were employed for many different reasons but the common thread that ran through them all was their use as a form of identification. First, the unique tattoos of the varying tribes that utilized them helped to set them apart from each other and allowed the various tribes to recognize members of other tribes. The tattoos also often signified what role the individual played within the tribe. For example if a person was a warrior, chieftain or a shaman. Depending on the culture, tattoo styles varied greatly for warriors and shamans. Chieftains were almost always found to have more elaborately decorated tattoos. These tattoos often depicted the importance of the person and in some cases told a story that revealed part of their life`s history or an important event that displayed their strengths as a warrior or a leader. These were usually displayed as tribal shoulder tattoos because this part of the body was easily visible.

The tribal shoulder tattoos weren`t used exclusively for identification but also to incite fear and intimidation in enemies. Accounts are mentioned of early pre-Christian Celtic and Germanic tribes from northern and central Europe who were heavily tattooed. The Picts, a confederation of tribes living in ancient Scotland were famous for their scars and tattoos. They were decorated with elaborate dark blue woad and copper that turned the skin blue. These tattoos and their designs were mentioned by Julius Caesar in the fifth book of his Gallic Wars series.

Modern tribal shoulder tattoos have their roots in these ancient methods and reasons. They don`t have to have any cultural significance to the wearer but they are still highly decorative with intricate designs. A popular motif among tribal tattoos is Celtic knot work that symbolizes the art, culture and strength of the ancient Celtic tribes that once inhabited Western Europe before being conquered by the Roman Empire. Following the conquest, the Romans outlawed distinctive tribal markings and tattoos that set them apart from the rest of the Empire. Nowadays, the best tribal shoulder tattoos can be seen in studios and galleries online. An example of a site that provides high quality and fine designs for inking skin is TattooMeNow.

Best Tribal Shoulder Tattoo
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