The World of Tattooing

Interesting facts you probably did not know about tattoos.

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The word tattoo is a loanword from the Samoan word tatau. It means "to mark” or “to strike." Preserved tattoos on ancient mummified human remains reveal that tattooing has been practiced throughout the world for many centuries.
In 2018, the oldest figurative tattoos in the world were discovered on two mummies from Egypt. They are dated between 3351 and 3017 BCE.
It is commonly held that the modern popularity of tattooing stems from Captain James Cook's three voyages to the South Pacific in the late 18th century. Cook's voyages and the dissemination of the texts and images from them brought more awareness about tattooing.