Tattoos are a visual form of language, according to Lars Krutak, archeologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, tattoo researcher and author of three books about tribal tattooing including “Spiritual Skin: Magical Tattoos and Scarification.”
The earliest evidence of tattooing is a mustache on a 7,000-year-old South American mummy, according to Krutak.
The second-earliest evidence comes from the Iceman, Otzi, discovered in the Otztal Alps in 1991, Krutak said.
“About 85 percent of his linear markings line up with classical acupuncture points to relieve rheumatism, and CT scans showed a body wracked by arthritis,”
Therapeutic tattooing is still practiced in some parts of the world, according to Krutak.
“It’s a practice that's continued on for 5,000 years. ... It’s obviously an effective remedy since people have been doing it for so long and they continue to do it,” Krutak said.
Historically, tattooing has also been used to mark combat victories and other warfare honors, Krutak said.
Many tattoos also marked significant life achievements and stages, like reaching adulthood, or having a first child. It depends, cross-culturally, according to Krutak.
“Other tattoos ... served as memorials for individuals ... passed loved ones who died,” he said.
Some people believed that tattoos could repel evil spirits that brought disease, according to Krutak.
Tattoos also served as symbols of identity, Krutak said.
“Clan markers, lineage markers, ... basically, if you know how to read these symbols, you can ultimately tell sort of the biographies of individuals. You can read their life story if you are armed with the ability to read this visual language,” Krutak said.
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