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Art Of Tattooing in Ancient Celtic Society History of Tattoos & Culture & The Picts

Updated: Sep 30, 2023

The Misconception Of The Pictish people


Tattoos can be found in every culture as far as we know and with stood the test of time's. Tattooing is a ancient practice found in Asia , The Alps Peru it's culturely wide spread and In Egypt as well

And in early Scythian culture

Going back 10's to Thousands of years.


This Artical talks about Tattoos found on mummies from ancient times across the globe https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattoos-144038580/


In the Artical you can Read how Tattoos are Sacred among many different people's cultures and Practices the mummy found in Peru has a Blue like color.


When The Romans wrote about The Picts it is Believed The word Pict means Painted which can mean many things rather it mean Body Paint or Tattoos


Pictish Stones can be found all throughout Scotland & Some Pictish like Carvings in Ireland these Celtic Symbols are Ancient. And we're used Sacredly in some way. Similar Art can be Found in other regions Across Europe The are most likely of Gallo Roman Scynthian Celtic Culture.


When we look at The Depictions of The Picts we see images of Art that doesn't relate to any Celtic Culture Non of the Drawings by Rome show any Remarkable Resemblance to Known Pictish Symbols.

Other then the knots and spirals The designs of the animal carvings look Scynthian a group wrote off the history books until The Pictish people.

These are Pictish Carvings



In This Presentation, You'll see Pictish Stones from Scotland as well as similar stone Carvings in Ireland and Similar Celtic art abroad


This Stone here is found in Co. Limrick Ireland For Those who wanna Read about The Stones here https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2022/08/22/new-carvings-found-on-prehistoric-co-limerick-stone-circle



The Battersea Sheild currently in a British Museum



The Celts exhibition also highlights some fascinating elements of Celtic culture including the practice of sacrificing precious objects to their gods. Typically this would happen in wet places – rivers, bogs and lakes – which seemed to hold a ritual significance for Celts. The Battersea Shield, an ornate bronze shield dating from 350-50 BC, is considered to be one of these objects ritually deposited in water. Pulled out of the River Thames at Battersea in 1855, the shield is one of the finest examples of Iron Age Celtic art from Britain, with curvilinear decoration and red glass embellishments.


Place Found is

50 BC

Place River Thames, London

Many Celtic Artifacts can be found

All Across Europe


Now we are going to look deeper into tattoos


Today’s Tattoo’s can be found with Color a Color Spectrum as far as Painting or Coloring goes.

But in Ancient Time’s the amount of Color was not used all we’re Black , Black&Grey , Or A Blackish Blue tent.


Ancient Rome however had some Color to their Tattoos such as Yellow , Brown , And Red's



In these Pictures you see More Indepth color’s a Color Pallot Rome Most Likely used in their Tattoo Art. These are Roman Depictions of The Picts


Picture 1.

Has no Resemblance to any

Known Celtic Culture as shown above


It looks entirely fictional compared to other Depictions



Not as Detailed the only thing that could be of Celtic Symbolism is the Sun wheel like Symbol in The second picture.


This Balkan Celtic Statue of Taranis earlier Taranus

Can also be that of the form of Dagda and sucellus

Is Holding a Sun wheel you can see this Depictions on The Gundestrup Cauldron



Found in Denmark Believed to show Images of Multiple Celtic Deities though some Stories lost to time.


It is More Likey The Picts & or Celts with Tattoos looked more like this.




The Scynthians Adopted Griffins in their art which is Celtic in orgin Welsh Irish & Briton Gael and Gaulish roots.


Here are later Scynthian art after they became a Celtic people




These are Pictish Symbols here look at that previous picture and look at these


Identical artwork


Bede a Christian monk born in 673 A.D wrote about The Ancient Picts of Scotland The Picts appear in History in the 3erd Century to The 10th century A.D


Approximately not certain & he writes That The Picti / Picts, Pictish came Originally From Scythia


As another post showed. Here is more information about The Scynthians and Picts relation


The Scynthians come from a Iranian group & Orgianlly they invaded Mongolia

India Sibera Greece Rome & Germany


During German Roman Gaulish times


They had a Cluster of different cultures and deities


They Migrated west from Central Asia Russia Ukraine Sibera 7th to 8th Century BCE


They also had encounters with a germanic group known as The Goths


They are known for bringing down Ancient Rome many believe before Germany they Came from Southern Scandinavia, The Scynthians being multiple beliefs Systems Adopted culture from Scandinavia Germany & The Celts and Rome


While staying in The Alps as well as the black sea


They also are believed to have Adopted Slavic Culture before that.


They believed that The Slavs came from The Alan's which we're a Scynthian group.


The Black sea is in connection with Greese Sibera Romania Turkey which had Romans and Celts as well.


Gauls were a Celtic people dwelling in Galatia, a region of central Anatolia

Anatolia being apart of Turkey & Asia & Greece all places They also could have Adopted Celtic Culture from.


With That Said there's no telling when exactly Scynthians Adopted Celtic cultures such as artwork Torcs & Cauldron's which would place them


Roughly around 680 , 679 BC 678 , 677 BC Roman Empire

From 25 B.C to 235 A.D Five Roman Provinces are established in Anatolia Asia.


The Germanic Scandinavian Goths who Invaded Rome Took place 300 BC To 400 BC at that time given The Scynthians history with The Goths and Rome they would have surely been involved.


And so around that time period The Scynthians and Goths stayed in western Europe and because of their victory over Rome that starts The Medevil period.


So not all Scynthians are Celts The ones who followed The Goths into The western part of Europe into Gaul and Germany are some near Anatolia Could be too yes But not all.

The Scynthian Picts or Scynthian Celts are


Also The Romams Talked about The Picts dying their skin with Blue Woad. Woad is a plant native to Scotland. It is used


To make a indigo Blue ink that blue ink can be made by more then one plant but Woad being one of the main plant based inks used in today's tattoo ink. Woad can also be found in Asia, Eastern Sibera and along the Danube River, Portugal & India. All countries celts lived. It is possible that not all celts used Indigo all over their bodies.


Some being not at all some only on the body not face & Some all over the body.


The Picard language Spoken in Belgium also derives from The Roman word Picti or Pictus today it is a mix of French Ancient gaulish & Germanic Flemish. But in Ancient France it was a Gaulish language. Which also makes it possible Tribes in France and Belgium also Had Indigo Blue tattoos just not covered.


Which made The Picts of Scotland look extraordinary to The Roman's


Many also believe the Picts of Scotland have Gene's also from The Brittions so very possible they had Indigo tattoos as well.


Woad being used in Blue tattoo in is most likely just for the Color other Compounds in the ink would make it stay. In the skin it is also possible the Roman's from Julius Caesar's time also described glass which would only make sense if the glass was used to put ink in the skin or something like glass. The Woad and Indigo mixture alone isn't enough do dye skin. So they could have added coppers as well It appears Julius Caesar would be describing a portion of what they saw.


Today blue tattoo ink is made from Woad & Copper & Aluminum iron Oxides lapis lazuli stones so it's more then one ingredient.

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