These days, tattoos are everywhere. But no so long ago, tattoo was an underground art form. And before that, tattoo was a cultural touchstone for numerous ancient civilizations. We explore the storied history of tattooing with Chuck Eldridge, founder of the Tattoo Archive.

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<p>These days, tattoos are everywhere. But no so long ago, tattoo was an underground art form. And before that, tattoo was a cultural touchstone for numerous ancient civilizations. We explore the storied history of tattooing with Chuck Eldridge, founder of the Tattoo Archive.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

The best source on our cultural identity is not the official, historical record — ask any anthropologist, it’s the town dump. Ephemera — those things that were just barely saved, and in some cases not saved at all — emanate with secrets we can only glimpse and mysteries we can never completely answer. The stories may be unfamiliar, but the themes are universal; this is a looking glass, a window into our own fragile, material existence that begs the question, “How will I be remembered?”

Ephemeral

Tattoo

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6982c277-88b0-49fe-8093-ae33003621ae/transcript