the art of tattooing goes back a lo

the art of tattooing goes back a long way. the Egyptians used to tattoo each other 3,000 years ago, and the oldest known example is on the body of a 4,000 year old "ice-man" who was found frozen in mountain snow on the Italian-Australian border in 1939. the picture shows a tattoo on the upper arm of another ice-man, who die 2,500 years ago in Siberia, and who is now on display in a Moscow museum.
In more modern times, tattoos were reintroduced to Europe by Captain Cook and his crew on their return from Tahiti in 1771- hence the traditional association of tattoos with sailors. the word "tattoo" itself comes from the Tahitian word "tatau"- onomato- poeic for the sound made by their tattooing instrument.
there are a number of major styles of tattoo, including Tribal (bold, simple patterns i black ink), Celtic (intricate knotwork, again usually black), Oriental (fish, clouds, dragons, ect,) and Portrait (images taken from photos, usually in black and gray ink). But nowadays almost any kind of image can be, turned ito a tattoo, in a full range of colors, and on almost any part of the body.
technically, the only places you can't get tattooed are your hair, teeth and nails, but parts of the body which may change with ageing (such as the stomach, which tends to get bigger and sag), are best avoided. Arms and shoulders are the most popular, and one reason for this is that while these areas can be display in public, it is equally easy to conceal them under a shirt. For the same reason many people choose the left wrist (which can be covered by a watch) or the feet and ankles. Some even use a shaved area of the head- and can then grow their hair to cover it up again if they want to.
tattoos are put in place by means of a tattoo gun, which has a cluster of needles which jab in and out rapidly. the artist changes colors by dipping the tip of the gun into various color inks as a paint artist does into a palette. Being on the receiving end of a tattoo gun is a painful process, especially for the first couple of minutes; after that, the body's natural painkillers- endorphins- start to come into play, and the pain apparently subsides into a kind of vibrating, buzzing sensation. The use of aspirins is not recommended, as they thin the blood and can lead to bleeding.
though not pleasant, the process is not dangerous, provided the tattoo is applied by a qualified artist in a clean and properly supervised environment. infections can, however, result from using a "scratcher"- someone who's bought a tattoo gun by mail order and has no idea how to use it safely. For this reason, many US states have strict safely regulations concerning tattooing and four have banned it altogether.
the main disadvantage of tattoo is that they're permanent. it is true that they tend to blur and possibly sag with age- but they don't go away. so it is not a decision to be taken lightly. if you might want a job as a bank clerk in a few years's time, think twice before tattooing that fire-breathing dragon on your hand. and by all means tattoo a heart with your partner's name on your arm-provided you're sure you'll feel the same way for ever.
tattoo can be removed, but it can be a painful process and it can leave scars. only laser treatment can remove them completely, and this is very expensive. in the other words, it is much easier to get a tattoo than to oremove one. in a survey, one third of men and women questioned regetted getting tattooed. So the undecided would be well advised to stick to those temporary tattoos that you put on for the evening and remove with baby oil the next day.