How did ancient civilisations do tattoos?
In: 1
They did it the same way we do today. The main difference is that we now have mechanical needles. But you can make a tattoo by hand using just a needle and ink. It just takes a lot more time and effort.
Very, very painfully.
The overall concept is the same. Tattoos work because the ink is injected into a layer of skin where the immune system locks onto it and holds it into place.
Tattoos nowadays use sterile, mechanized needles that move very quickly and place the ink right where it needs to be, in a way that minimizes scarring and reduces pain.
Various methods have been used historically, all of which were much more dangerous.
A common one, seen from the native Taiwanese across Oceania and Australia, was taking a pin attached to a rod and hitting it with a mallet, using it to perforate the skin with a design, then pressing ink into the perforations. When the wounds healed, a tattoo remained.
These methods all involve creating wounds on the body that are filled with ink. But unlike modern tattoos, these wounds were not made with sterile tools or kept clean, and aftercare was not well developed. The process – slower and more crude, was also more painful.
By hand – the same way many cultures still do to this day. All you need is something sharp to pierce the skin and some pigment such as charcoal to dip the sharp object in or to rub in the opening. [Here’s a video of a traditional Samoan tattoo that’s done by hand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaTn6nE_a1U).
Latest Answers