🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9301250859.aa03894@mc.lcs.mit.edu> STEWARTL@wood-emh1.army.MIL (LOU STEWART) writes:
>A question came up this weekend regarding tattoos.  Does anyone know
>if they were used at all in our period?  If so, where and by whom
>were they used?  Or were they used only for certain ceremonial
>purposes, or by special people, such as priests or wizards?  Will
>appreciate any information the good gentles of the Rialto can
>provide.  Luigsech ni hIfearnain, Calanais Nuadh, Calontir.
>

It's out of the main scope of the period, but Otze, the late
neolithic/early bronze age hunter they dug out of a Tyrolian glacier
last year had some tattoos on him. I haven't seen pictures, but
appearantly they were just very simple geometric forms, not elaborate
pictures like we have today. They appearantly used blue ink to make the
tatoo. 
	This gives an early cut-off date (c. 10,000 B.C.E.).
	  
The Huns and the Mongols were described as having "scarred" faces. From
what I have read, these are either ritual facial scars, or an attempt to
keep the beard from growing on the cheeks. (Chinese/Persian illos of
Mongols show them with wispy Chinese style beards). These aren't tatoos,
but are some form of permanent "body decoration" from period.   

	I know nothing more.

Lothar \|/
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