Ammonites are a natural wonder that connect us to the Earth of the past. Their simplicity and elegance are valued not just by the geologists who discovered them, but also by artists, mathematicians, and the average joe.
Ammonites have all the key ingredients to make perfect, tribalesque body art.
The name “ammonite” comes Pliny the Elder nearly two thousand years ago. He named these spiral wonders after a celebrated Egyptian god named Amun who was always depicted wearing ram’s horns. Since then, ammonite fossils have been used as an index fossil for determining the age of a rock layer, and mathematicians are amazed by how the shape of this creature impeccably matches Fibonacci’s spiral.
The most obvious application of an ammonite tattoo is to simply and stunningly place the form of an ammonite wherever you like. It matches most tribal body art well, as this spiral is much like the spirals that tribal art possesses. The best part is that this kind of image can be easily sized to fit whatever space you want it to, spanning your entire shoulder or fitting nicely on your wrist or ankle. You can choose to fill each section with an impressive, geographic print, or you can keep it simple with plain shading.
However, consider using the ammonite and its spiral to augment an everyday image. A treble clef, for instance, features a spiral that can be elevated with the appeal of the ammonite’s spiral. Keep your eye open for every day objects that have a spiral to get inspiration for this kind of tattoo.
