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Blue Picts Caught Julius Caesar’s Eyes As Tribal Tattoos Landed In His Gallic Wars
Tribal shoulder tattoo are the earliest type of tattooing known in history. It has been practiced since the Neolithic Age in Eurasia. The oldest human species ever discovered is Otzi the Iceman who is considered to have lived around 3,300 BC in the alpine region of what is at present the boundary between Austria and Italy. Careful scrutiny revealed up to 57 tattoos on Otzi, many mere dots and lines.
Otzi actually does not hold the sole distinction of being a well-inked ancient corpse. Several tattoed mummies from the second millennium BC, have been discovered. Mummies from the burial grounds at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau as well as the Mummy of Amunet from Ancient Egypt are some well-known cases. The Mummy of Amunet’s tattoos are believed to be related to the sacred religion surrounding Amunet. Tattoos on Otzi and the Pazyryk mummies exemplify ancient tribal shoulder tattoos and markings.
Tribal tattoos were engaged in for diverse reasons but the familiar thread that ran through them all was their use as a means of identification. The distinctive tattoo used by each tribe set it apart from other tribes, thus identifying its members and also allowing its members to distinguish members of other tribes.
The tattoos also frequently signified what role the individual played within the tribe. He could be the tribal chief, the shaman, or a warrior, for instance. Tattoo styles for warriors and shamans were greatly varied depending on tribal ways and practices. More elaborately designed tattoos were normally bequeathed on chieftains.
Tattoos also often are indicators of a person’s worth to his tribe, sometimes even portraying a big event in his life when he displayed skills as warrior or chieftain. These were customarily displayed as tribal shoulder tattoos because this part of the body was easily vinoticeable.
The tribal shoulder tattoos weren’t used solely for recognition but to incite apprehension and intimidation in enemies as well. Early pre-Christian Celtic and Germanic tribes that inhabited northern and central Europe were described to be heavily tattooed.
The Picts, a fusion of tribes living in ancient Scotland were famous for their scars and tattoos. Their bodies bore intricate dark blue and copper etchings that turned the skin bluish in color. These tattoos and their blue prints got Julius Caesar’s attention and consequently a space in the fifth book of his Gallic Wars series.
Contemporary tribal shoulder tattoos have their roots in these ancient methods and reasons. People in our time wear tattooes, not necessarily for any cultural reason, but for their strikingly elaborate designs. A trendy pattern among tribal shoulder tattoo is Celtic knot work that reflects the art, culture and strength of the ancient Celtic tribes that once inhabited Western Europe before being conquered by the Roman Empire. Following the conquest, the Romans outlawed distinguishing tribal markings and tattoos that separate the tribes from the rest of the Empire.
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