Egyptian Tattoos

Egyptian tattoos are the symbols used to write ancient Egyptian language.  They were based on symbols that were a known has objects; this writing system is one of the oldest in the world.  The Egyptians called them “Gods Words”.  The Greeks were the first to discover them.  They would call them hiera grammata (the sacred letters), or hieroglyphica (the sacred carved letters).  Egyptians had three main tattoos that most people would get.  First would be the Ankh hieroglyph, which symbolized “life” or ‘”the breath of life”.  Second the Eye of Horus, which means all-seeing eye.  And finally is the Scarab, which Egyptians believed that you would have immortality if you got this tattoo.

            The Ankh symbol means “Life” to the Egyptians.  The Ankh is a very interesting, it symbols two early universal symbols, and one found in many cultures all over the world the cross and the circle.  It has a circle on time then the cross and that the bottom.  The shape of the Ankh suggests the sunrise with the loop showing the sun rising over the horizon symbolized by the cross with the vertical line representing the path of the sun.  Also people believed that the Ankh represents the male and female gods, Osiris and Isis.  The cross-stood for the male phallus and testicles while the circle represents the women’s womb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALkkcHb6Cq4

            The Eye of Horus was all-seeing eye, the eye of the god Horus known as the Sky God.  The Eye of Horus meant royal power.  What it looked like was an eye with thick eyeliner.  Also the Egyptians believed it to symbolize rebirth into the next life.  The Eye of Horus is still really popular around the world its one of the Egyptian tattoos that people still get today.

            The Egyptians believed the Scarab would give you immortality if you got it has a tattoo.  The Scarab look like a beetle with wings on it.  Scarabs were also symbolized of rebirth.  This is also linked with the rising of the sun.  Scarab is symbols of the cycle and power of the sun of rebirth and the after-life. They are lucky for protection and will help guide you on a successfully afterlife.  The Scarab is one of the biggest tattoos that Egyptians would get!

             Egyptian tattoos are still really popular around the world many people get them for different reasons.  But Egyptian mostly got them to represent rebirth and a good afterlife.  There are so many different tattoos that mean different things Egyptians believed tattoos would give them power and good luck.  Tattoos are one thing that will never die and will always live on through life.