For hundreds of years, tattooing has been one of the main ways of self-expression, expression of status in society, a showcase of one’s history and experience, or cultural and artistic interest. Even nowadays tattoos are the main media of body art across the world’s cultures, achieving mainstream status.

Tattooing in its etymology stands for ‘marking oneself’. The word itself originated from the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ (which means ‘mark’) and has been ‘discovered’ and brought into use by the British explorers in the 18th century, the first one being Captain Cook who brought the word back home.

We believe that before you get an appointment at a tattoo shop, you should first get informed and educated on everything tattoo. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, we’ll share some interesting statistics, facts, and less-known information about tattoos and the art of tattooing.

If this sounds interesting, then just keep scrolling.

Tattoo Historic Facts and Stats

The Oldest Tattooed Human Mummy

The oldest evidence of a human tattoo is believed to be from between 3370BC and 3100BC. How do we know this? Well, in 1991, the world’s oldest human mummy has been discovered in the Otzal Alps, between Italy and Austria.

The mummy has been named Otzi the Iceman. As counted by the experts, the mummy had 61 tattoos all over the body, mainly on his knees, the kidney area, and the ankles.

(Some of the Iceman’s tattoos, mapped and photographed by scientists))

Scientists and experts found that Otzi was tattooed by fire ash. Further analysis has discovered that Otzi may have lived between 3370BC and 3100BC, making him the oldest human mummy to still exist.

Scientists around the world have discovered tattoo-covered human remains in approximately 49 locations; from Alaska, Greenland, Egypt, Russia to China and the Philippines. Some of the human remains are believed to date back to 2000BC.