Get Inked: A Tattoo History Quiz

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Get Inked: A Tattoo History Quiz
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

Tattooing has exploded as an art form over the past 20 years, but it's an old practice with a lot of history. Can you stick and poke your way to a high score with some serious tattoo knowledge? Test your tattoo savvy with this HowStuffWorks quiz.
Humans have been tattooing each other dating back how far?
5,000 years
2,000 years
200 years
30 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While tattoos are popular today, evidence suggests people have been tattooing each other for over 5,000 years. A tattooed iceman dating back about 5,200 years was discovered at the border of Austria and Italy in 1991.

What style of tattoos looks like photographs on the skin?
Watercolor
Linework
Realism
Old School
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These tattoos often require tattooers with a fine art background and look like high-quality photographs on the skin. It can be incredibly expensive to get one of these done well.

Which style of tattooing traditionally features koi fish and geishas?
New School
Script
Blackwork
Japanese
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Japanese tattooing dates back thousands of years and is famously intricate. Authentic Japanese tattooing follows a very strict set of rules and covers large areas of the body.

Advertisement

In which country did a mayor once try to ban tattoos and inspire companies to fire their tattooed employees?
America
Chile
Japan
Scotland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Toru Hashimoto, the former mayor of Osaka, once tried to force city employees to reveal their tattoos so he could fire whoever had any. A court ruled this illegal in 2014.

Which of these religions has a tattoo culture that is thousands of years old?
Judaism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hinduism has a long history of tattooing, both temporary and permanent. The earliest Hindu scriptures talk about using plants for marking. Modern Hindus often tattoo religious symbols onto themselves for protection and to attract good karma.

Was tattooing a part of life in ancient Egypt?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes. Several female Egyptian mummies have been found with tattoos. Small bronze tattooing instruments dating back to about 1450 B.C. were also found in northern Egypt.

Advertisement

Predesigned tattoos that often decorate the walls of tattoo shops are called:
Sketches
Tattoo flash
Fast tatts
Custom work
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tattoo flash are pre-drawn designs that can be found in tattoo shops often in binders and on the walls. Many of these quick and fast tattoos are done in a classic style.

Tattoos meant to enhance natural beauty are called:
Cosmetic tattoos
Skin art
Invisible ink
Surgical
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not all tattoos are meant to be obvious. Recently, cosmetic tattoos have gained a lot of popularity. People tattoo fuller eyebrows, more defined lips and, occasionally, even eye makeup on their faces.

What do most tattoo artists use to tattoo in modern shops?
The stick and poke method
A tattoo machine
Ink pens
A tattoo knife
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A tattoo machine, which is sometimes called a tattoo gun, is the standard equipment used to tattoo in modern shops. It's controlled by a foot pedal and drives needles full of ink into the skin.

Advertisement

What kind of tattoos started the world of modern tattooing in the West?
Watercolor
Traditional
Japanese
Realism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The traditional style of tattooing, which is also referred to as American Traditional or Old School, is the oldest form of tattooing in the modern world. It features less color and detail, but solid linework and a lot of tattoo staples like roses and daggers.

What style of tattoo often features bright splashes of color?
Realism
Watercolor
Blackwork
Geometric
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Watercolor tattoos often depict elements of nature with bold splashes of color. Sometimes they are just pops of color, but artists often combine this style with other types of tattooing.

In which country is tattooing practiced illegally?
South Korea
India
Sweden
Mexico
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In modern South Korea, you need to have a doctor's license to legally tattoo. Most tattoo artists practice illegally as a part of South Korea's thriving underground tattoo scene.

Advertisement

What is the most well-known American gang tattoo?
Tear drop
Stick Figure
Lightning bolt
Five lines
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A tear drop is the most well-known American prison tattoo. It has numerous meanings, ranging from having committed murder, to having a loved one in jail.

As far as we know, who got tattoos in ancient Egypt?
Women
Pharaohs
Concubines
Criminals
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Only female mummies have been found with tattoos. This has led experts to believe that only women in ancient Egypt got and gave tattoos. It's thought they were used as protective amulets.

Tattoos were popular in the Roman Empire until Emperor Constantine adopted:
Martial Law
Christianity
Communism
Capitalism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tattoos had been popular amongst Roman soldiers and subjects until Emperor Constantine, who introduced Christianity to the empire, banned them. It was said that tattoos disfigured what God had made.

Advertisement

What type of tattooing utilizes dots instead of shading?
Geometric
Portraiture
Dotwork
Linework
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Dotwork tattoos make use of dots in the areas of a tattoo where shading might be in other styles. It is popularly used in geometric designs and smaller tattoos but can be applied to almost any design.

Which method do many people use to give themselves long lasting DIY tattoos?
Stick and poke
Tattoo knife
Homemade tattoo machines
Sharpie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many people choose to give themselves simple stick and poke tattoos at home using sterilized needles and dark ink. This can be dangerous if you are not an experienced tattooer or do not use clean tools.

Which style of tattooing is meant to look like ancient tattoos?
Watercolor
Dot work
Tribal
Script
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tribal tattoos are meant to look like ancient tattoos. Almost always black or blue, they focus mostly on linework, symmetry and geometric details.

Advertisement

Henna is a temporary tattoo art that comes from which country?
Afghanistan
China
India
Australia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Henna tattooing involves temporarily staining the body with a paste made from henna leaves. These intricate designs were originally only for Indian brides as a part of their wedding rituals.

Native Americans tattooed:
Their faces and hands
Only their feet
Their whole bodies
Nothing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While this varied from tribe to tribe, many Native American groups tattooed both their faces and bodies. One tribe known for this is the Cree.

Thailand's tattoo culture is unique because of its use of:
Color
Bamboo rods
Vegan ink
Blood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thailand's tattoo culture is unique due to the method used to tattoo. Needles are attached to bamboo rods and dark ink is tapped into the skin by hand.

Advertisement

Which style of tattooing focuses entirely on words?
New School
Watercolor
Portraiture
Script
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Script tattoos contain only words. While some artists use downloadable fonts, others will create custom fonts for their clients.

Which country was famous for its complex prison tattoos for decades?
America
Russia
Italy
Morocco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In Soviet Russia, prisoners took tattooing to another level with a complex language of images. By your tattoos, other inmates could know what crime you committed, how long you had been in jail and even more personal information.

Why do certain businesses in Japan ban customers with tattoos?
Religious reasons
Criminal affliations
Anti-Western feelings
Anti-modern feelings
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In Japan, tattooing has been associated with the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, for decades. Tattooing was illegal in Japan until 1948.

Advertisement

How do American prisoners tattoo each other?
Henna
Tattoo machines
Improvised tattoo equipment
Pens
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tattooing is illegal in U.S. prisons, so prisoners are forced to improvise tattoo equipment. They often use things like mechanical pencils, magnets and staples.

Which style of tattooing draws the most influence from the traditional style?
Japanese
New School
Neo-Traditional
Geometric
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Neo-Traditional tattoos keep elements of the traditional style, like bold outlines and a 2-D look, and blend them with elements of other tattoo styles. They are often brighter, more colorful and more detailed than classic tattoos.

In which U.S. state was it illegal to get tattooed until the year 2000?
California
New York
Massachusetts
Florida
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The widespread legality and acceptance of tattooing are new in the US. In New York City, tattooing was illegal from the 1960s through the 1990s. In Massachusetts, tattooing could lead to a jail sentence up until 2000.

Advertisement

Which of these religions is historically anti-tattoo?
Buddhism
Hinduism
Judaism
Celtic Paganism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many believe that the Torah forbids tattoos, making tattooing unpopular amongst very religious Jews. There are some Jewish cemeteries which will not allow tattooed people to be buried there.

Which style of tattooing is inspired by modern influences, like cartoons?
Old School
Script
Geometric
New School
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

New school tattoos often have cartoon or graffiti influences. They feature bright colors and exaggerated elements. Pop culture icons are often tattooed on people in this style.

Traditional Japanese tattoos are created using what tool?
A tattoo gun
A single needle
An improvised tattoo gun
A tattoo knife
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genuine traditional Japanese tattooing, called irezumi, is done by hand with a single needle. It is incredibly painful, time-consuming and expensive.

Advertisement

Which style of tattooing involves massive detailed black areas as the key design element.
Watercolor
Blackwork
Dotwork
Traditional
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Blackwork tattoos, also called Neo-Tribal, feature detailed geometric patterns inspired by Polynesian tattoos. These all black tattoos range from small and subtle to large and bold.

What colors does modern tattoo ink come in?
All of them
Basic colors
Black and white
Complimentary colors
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Modern tattoo ink is made by mixing pigments and carrier fluids. It comes in almost any color you can imagine.

How can tattoos be removed?
Plastic surgery
Skin grafts
Laser surgery
They can't
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tattoos can be removed with laser surgery. Black is the easiest color to remove.

Advertisement

Which famous New Zealand tribe is known for its facial tattoos?
Ainu
Maori
Cherokee
Cree
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Maori tribe has a tattoo culture that dates back thousands of years. Men tattoo their entire face, and women only tattoo their chins and nostrils.

What tattoo style features symmetrical shapes?
Geometric
Traditional
Japanese
Watercolor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Geometric tattoos are often intricate and done in black ink. Artists who work in this style use symmetry and repeating shapes to create unique designs.

You Got:
/35
shutterstock