If someone mentions ancient Greek vases, the first thing that probably comes to mind is lithe, muscular figures, their proportions ideal and their skin devoid of each and every blemish. That image, however, is inaccurate. Many Greek works of art, just like their human counterparts, were adorned with tattoos: the entire ancient world overflowed with permanent ink – and there were strong opinions about it. In fact, the range of these opinions bears a striking resemblance to the diversity of attitudes toward tattoos in the West today. Although tattooing was used in Greco-Roman culture over hundreds of years, it was invariably viewed as a punishment and a disgrace. An examination of the Greek norms on this subject will give sufficient evidence of this attitude, as the Romans closely followed Greek views on the matter.
