Tattoos: a 5,000 year history

The Maya have a rich and varied storyworld shaped by diverse traditions and communities. In this episode, Mallory E Matsumoto tells Emily Briffett about her recent book, The Maya Myths, which explores tales of destruction and rebirth, people made of maize dough, and journeys into ...  Afficher plus

Few pirates in history wielded as much power as Zheng Yi Sao, the woman who rose from obscurity to command one of the largest pirate fleets the world has ever seen, challenging the Qing empire's control of the South China Sea. Yet despite her extraordinary achievements, surprisin ...  Afficher plus

There are many common misconceptions and misunderstandings about Tattoos. They can act as a window into the social economic and cultural issues of a period of time. Britain was in fact the 'land of the painted people' with tattooing going further back into our history than man ...

“As ancient as time, as modern as tomorrow.’Why have tattoos been reinvented in so many cultures - and with so many different meanings - throughout history?And yet, tattooing is constantly portrayed as a new ‘thing’, when tattoos were just for criminals or sailors.Far from truth, ...  Afficher plus

George V, Otzi the Iceman, possibly Winston Churchill and … Kate Lister. What do all these people have in common?They have tattoos. As do a fifth of the population of the United Kingdom.In this episode, Kate speaks to tattoo historian Matt Lodder about the origins of tattoos, the ...  Afficher plus

Body art...tattoos...are pretty ubiquitous these days. But where did it all start…and why? The first documented evidence of tattooing goes back over 5,000 years. But why did they do it? It’s not what you think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.