Tattoos have been popular in human civilization for hundreds of years. Greek civilization was also involved in tattooing. They tattooed various things on themselves and their slaves.

They tattooed images of their gods, the names of their families as well as markings of their slaves.

The Greeks learned the practice of tattooing from the Persians. Herodotus, a famous Greek historian tells us that the Persians would tattoo the names of their prisoners of war and slaves as a sign of ownership.

The name of the Persian king Xerxes will be tattooed on everyone considered property of the state.

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The Greeks initially associated tattoos with barbarians. Over time, tattoos became accepted in Greek civilization to identify people who had committed crimes. Plato, a Greek philosopher, pointed out that a temple robber must write his crime on his face and hands.

Additionally, a freed slave in Greece also had his face marked to indicate his former slavery and current freedom.

Sometimes, Greeks also get tattoos for fun. The Romans borrowed the practice of recreational tattooing from the Greeks, and the Roman emperor Caligula would tattoo members of his court for fun.

Greek tattoos often have meaning. Sometimes, the meaning is religious. Some people have Greek Bible verses tattooed on their bodies. The Bible was written in Hebrew and the first translation was done in Greek.

Therefore, a tattoo of a verse in Greek signifies a deep religious foundation . Images also have meaning in Greek tattoos. One of them is an image of a dove. According to Greek mythology, this means peace and serenity.

In most cases, this tattoo features a white dove holding a green leaf. This has important biblical significance.

A word in Greek can also be added below the bird. The dove with the green leaf means hope because it appeared when Noah released the dove to see if there was any dry land. The green leaf represents the dry land and is the hope for Noah and the future of humanity.

Greek tattoos often feature warriors. The Greeks had great respect for their warriors and they praised the courage and patriotism the warriors showed. One of the warriors that is a popular subject for Greek tattoos is Achilles.

He was the greatest warrior in ancient Greece.

He was the hero of the Trojan War. Furthermore, he is the main subject of Homer’s Iliad. Achilles tattoo means courage, strength and patience. It also shows that people have a secret weakness like an Achilles heel. It is a tattoo full of movement and deep meaning.

Greek tattoos also feature their gods and goddesses. The Greeks had a pantheon of gods they worshiped. These are the gods of various elements of life and earth. One of the goddesses popularly tattooed by the Greeks was Aphrodite.

Aphrodite tattoo means beauty and love.

It means that the person wearing the tattoo wishes to experience a life filled with meaningful relationships and happiness. There are many types of Greek tattoos. Read on to learn about some of these.

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• Black and gray tattoo

This type of Greek tattoo is drawn in black and gray colors . They do not come in bright colors like red or blue. These tattoos feature Greeks or gods expressing emotions of courage, anger, loss or escape.

They are also drawn to have the same proportions as real-life people. These tattoos are also very realistic. Greek black and gray tattoos are usually medium or large in size. Therefore, they are drawn on areas such as the upper arms, back, abdomen or chest. This type of Greek tattoo is unisex.

So, men or women can wear them. They are ideal for people whose tattoos have a practical meaning.

This type of Greek tattoo is full of color. They are also drawn like illustrations in comics . They are true to life and the subject of the tattoo is drawn in such a way as to convey the emotions in the tattoo. The subjects of this type of Greek tattoo are usually gods and goddesses.

They can also have inanimate objects such as apples and armor. Illustrated tattoos range in size from medium to large. Therefore, they should be drawn in suitable locations. When getting this Greek style tattoo, you should choose a placement where you can show it off.

It’s a great type of tattoo to sport thanks to its vibrant color scheme. Illustrative tattoos can be worn by boys or girls.

• Realistic tattoo

These tattoos depict subjects and objects drawn to be as realistic as possible. The characters drawn in these tattoos are so lifelike that they look like portraits of the characters. This type of tattoo is often used to depict Greek gods and goddesses.

The realism of the tattoo allows one to see the physical characteristics of these subjects as well as observe the emotions the subject is feeling in the tattoo. They can be made in black and gray colors or designs. Some artists also combine black and gray with some dark red.

This is used to give the character in the tattoo a certain divine essence. This type of tattoo ranges in size from medium to large. It can also be worn by both men and women.

This type of Greek tattoo features symbols. These symbols had significance in Greek civilization. Essentially a simple-looking type of tattoo, symbolic tattoos feature Greek words or letters inside a geometric outline. The border can be circular or diamond-shaped.

Due to its simple design, this type of tattoo can be drawn on almost any part of the body. It can also range in size from small to large. This type of Greek tattoo allows for design freedom. It’s also neat and pleasant to observe. This type of Greek tattoo is unisex. So it can be worn by girls or boys.

These are some of the types of Greek tattoos one can get.