If you want to have some amazing body art then Egyptian tattoos would be a great way to go. Did you know that the Egyptians are responsible for introducing tattoos as a form of body art to South East Asia by 2000BC and there were many reasons to have a tattoo such as; religious purposes, medical, replacement of an amulet and a sign of status. I am going to go over some common styles that are present in Egyptian tattoos so it is easier to understand what would suit you best.Egyptian Symbol Tattoos
There are many different symbols from ancient Egypt and they have very different meanings. There are some common ones that you see on tattoos and they are:
- The "Eye of Horus", which is the easiest to recognise. This symbol represents healing and protection but was also used as a measurement instrument because it has 6 different pieces.
- The Ankh is another very common Egyptian tattoo and symbol that can be seen on the chest, shoulders, wrists and ankles. It is the symbol of eternal life and there are many theories behind other meanings as well.
- The Winged Solar Disk can be seen across the shoulder blades very often. This represents the form Horus takes when he goes to battle.
There are many different symbols but these are the ones you will mostly see in tattoo form.
Egyptian God Tattoos
Again there where so many gods in ancient Egypt but only a few that pop up in tattoos. I will list them for you here:
- Anubis (head of a jackal) is the most popular god tattoo that you will find and he will usually be holding an ankh. He was the one who would weigh your heart to determine whether you were allowed to the netherworld.
- The next popular would be Horus who is a man with a hawks head. Horus was the king of Egypt and it was his magical eye that has become the most recognised symbol the Egyptian eye or the "Eye of Horus".
- Seth would be the final god that is popular as a tattoo. He represents the dessert, storm and violence. His nature was that of aggression against his enemies but loyalty to the sun god Ra.
Egyptian Hieroglyphics Tattoos
These round out the common Egyptian tattoos worn today and they do look very awesome. The Egyptians had pictorial and alphabet hieroglyphs that would be written in columns and rows. The hieroglyphics can be a combination of symbols and pictures but make sure that if you want to translate English to Hieroglyphs you use a reliable source. These tattoos generally can be seen on the ankles, wrists, spine and arms but you can put the tattoo wherever it looks good.
