Tattoos

No, I didn't get one, but I have noticed many people with them here--especially young women. Not too many skulls and crossbones, yin-yang symbols, satanic monster figures, scenes of Armageddon, roses, I love yous, names of loved-ones, etc., though I did see one woman with a hemp-leaf tattoed on her back. Hilary can attest to that. More common are small and unremarkable, though sophisticated, identifying marks, usually on the hand, wrist, or forearm, ornaments, like patterns on ancient vases, like jewelry but inscribed into the surface of the flesh. Is this an ancient tradition or a contemporary practice? Where do the two intermingle?