Posted on 12/12/2019 11:31:32 AM PST by BenLurkin
Ancient Egyptians have long been depicted wearing so-called head cones, but until now, archaeologists had no physical evidence of their existence. Now, two such head cones, made of wax, have been discovered on the skulls of two individuals buried about 3,300 years ago at the site of Amarna in Egypt.
Between 1550 B.C. and 30 B.C., Egyptian art depicted people wearing what look like cones on their heads. Because no examples of these cones had ever been found, archaeologists wondered whether they actually existed or were an artistic motif that had no basis in reality
The two cone-wearing individuals were found in separate plots in cemeteries at Amarna. One individual, a woman, was found in 2010; she had died when she was between 20 and 29 years of age. She had "long, thick braids featuring many extensions and end-curls" and "the cone was found in situ, placed on top of the head over the well-preserved hair," the archaeological team wrote in the Antiquity article.
The researchers noted that the "overall shape [of the cone] seems to be that of a low dome," originally measuring about 3.1 inches (80 millimeters) high and 3.9 inches (100 mm) across.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Did you cover this topic already?
In before Dan Akroyd makes an appearance.
14 seconds. That’s cutting it real close.
I almost took a second look before posting. And the entire effect would have been ruined.
...I really need to get a life.
I miss the Dan Akroyd/Steve Martin days.
(Reminiscing)
Spwculation:
Elaborate hair styles, including curls, might have been time-consuming/expensive. Wax head cones would melt in the heat and coat the hair to preserve the styling, like hairspray.
Fragrance dissipates over short periods of time, so lack of fragrance isn’t definitive. Unguents (animal fat/lanolin) would have melted too quickly for any class of society in near-equatorial heat and in any event, would need wax added to hold any shape in that climate. Not to say wax and unguent couldn’t have been mixed together as they are in Chapstick.
Thanks BenLurkin. Not sure whether it's been covered or not, I'm throwing caution the winds! ;^)
One of *those* topics.
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Have they found any sense-o-rings?
The function of the head cones has been well known for ages. The Egyptians all wore wigs because they found it impossible to keep their real hair clean. In fact, they considered body hair of any type on an adult to be unsanitary and unseemly. At the same time, they found it just as difficult to keep the wigs clean. Instead, what they did was pile cones of soft wax infused with perfume on top of the wig. Their body heat would keep the wax continuously melting and perfuming the wig to mask any unpleasant odor.
Anyone who served in the military in the days of starched covers knows the joy that those wax head pieces must have been in the summer.
And, side note...
In all the wall murals, ancient Egyptian women are hotties.
Maybe they were early kippahs or yarmulkes.
That sort of thing was also true in American colonial times.
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