5603kc+Ancient+Civilization+Report

When people think about Ancient Egyptians, they think of pyramids, mummies, and hieroglyphics. Ancient Egypt, or Kemet, which means Land of the Black Soil, was known for its fashion and beauty. The Ancient Egyptians, who called themselves Kemi, lived in two parts; the Nile River split them into Northern Egypt and Southern Egypt. This ancient culture existed through 2500 to 2100 B.C, which is through Old Kingdom, as they became a modern day culture when they were conquered. The Egyptians left us many things, but their main legacy is their architecture. Egyptian architecture and art has influenced modern architecture all over the world. As you can see, there are many things you can learn and adapt from Ancient Egyptian culture.

An important and fascinating part of Ancient Egyptian culture was fashion. Dress and decoration were important to the Egyptians because they determined social status. The Egyptians actually could have run around bald, naked, and makeup-less if they wanted to, but since the way they looked and appeared determined their reputation, they wore wigs, makeup, and clothing like robes. Egyptians expressed their importance in a community by the way they expressed themselves in their hairstyles, makeup, and clothing.

You may think that hair and hairstyles were not important in the hot weather of Egypt, but they actually kept people from illness and disease. The Ancient Egyptians, both male and female, proudly shaved their heads bald, and used the same hair to stitch together wigs. Why? You may think that this is a waste of time,or there is just no reason to shave your head and use the same hair for your own wig, but this saved the Egyptians from lice, ticks, dandruff, hair loss, and all other hair problems that both girls and boys worry about today.

The Egyptian wigs came in many different colors including red, blue, green, black, and brown. Why so many colors, you ask? This showed their social status as well. The red and brown wigs were what the viziers and pharaohs wore, and the other colors were for farmers and slaves. The wigs were also sprinkled with gold dust. The Egyptians did this so it would show barbarians their authority. Only the rich families would do this. Also, those who could afford the gold dust used to wear it, too. Just like rich people used to sprinkle gold dust, they also used postitches for beards. This showed that they were special and not slaves or foreigners. As you can see, hair and hairstyles were a big part of the beauty history of Egypt.

Makeup was a big part of Egyptian history. You may be wondering why they wore makeup. They usually wore makeup to protect them from the sun, and to please the gods. The Egyptians wore lots of makeup and a few of the most important cosmetics were eyeliner, lip lint, and perfume wax. The Egyptians wore eyeliner called kohl. Kohl is a black powder, usually antimony sulfide or lead sulfide mixed with valence-oxide, used as eye makeup especially in Egypt. They wore kohl on their eyelids to prevent burns from the sun, and also to make their eyes appear larger. Both men and women wore blue and green eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Using a highly-polished bronze hand mirror, a woman would apply kohl, kept in a jar or pot, to line her eyes and eyebrows, using a brush made of a reed. Men also wore this eye make-up as well, which was not only a fashion but also protected against the eye infections which were common in Egypt. As you can see, kohl was an important makeup for Egyptians.

Another makeup accessory was lip lint. Lip lint was used when the lips were chapped, similar to chapstick today. It was used for wall paintings, lip chaps, and masks. The Egyptians used lip lint mostly for masquerades, though. As it is clear, lip lint was used for beauty and worn for entertainment.

The final cosmetic was perfumed wax. Perfumed wax was applied in a very fashionable way, following a few steps. Women often had banquets to attend and they did not want to smell bad; they didn’t have deodorant at that time. So they used beeswax. They took a cone of beeswax, stuck it to their wigs, and let it melt.The beeswax was obviously scented, so after it melted and dried, the wig would give off a sweet scent. As you can see, Egyptians prevented themselves from smelling bad by using perfumed wax.

Again, Egyptians could have run around naked and clothless, but since Egypt had important people and officials, Egyptians wore clothing to tell their social class. The Egyptians did not wear t-shirts and jeans, however, they used materials similar to materials we use today for clothes. They used silk, linen, and other robes for their clothes.

Linen was extremely expensive, unlike the cheap linen you might think of that we use today. Many pharaohs and other officials wore linen to show that they are rich. It was expensive because the material was very silky, and back in that time, linen was hard to find. Surprisingly, the lower class citizens wore dyed linen, not the upper class citizens. The upper class citizens thought that white showed importance and colors showed “dirtiness”. As you can see, linen and linen robes were worn by authorities, and authorities only.

Women wore straight, ankle-length dresses that usually had straps that tied at the neck or behind the shoulders. Some dresses had short sleeves or short robes tied over their shoulders. Linen was folded in many tiny vertical pleats and fringes were put at the edges. As you can see, both women and men wore and used linen clothing.

Ancient Egypt, after a while, evolved into modern day Egypt. Many Ancient Egyptian customs are still passed on to this day, however many customs have disappeared. The one thing that is still used to this day, other than makeup, is the solar calendar. The Egyptians influenced us to make a normal calendar that you might have at your house today by inventing the solar calendar according to their observations. The Ancient Egyptians taught us the importance of finding the value of materials, like how to reuse, reduce, and recycle. From the Egyptians, you can learn about the contributions that they made to modern day cosmetics and fashion.

Glossary

barbarian- someone who is not native to the land, and considered an outsider

fringes- folds at the bottom of the linen robe

kohl- thick black eyeliner that the Egyptians wore to protect themselves from the sun, and make their eyes look bigger.

social status- the placing of the Egyptian citizens, the pharaohs were at the top, and slaves were at the bottom.

vizier- a high official in a muslim country, like Egypt

Works Cited "Ancient Egyptian Legacy." Legacy of the Ancient Egyptians. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014. Cheshire, Gerard, and Paula Hammond. The Middle East. Broomall, PA: Mason Crest, 2003. Print. Defrates, Joanna. What Do We Know about the Egyptians? New York, NY: P. Bedrick, 1991. Print. "Garments." Ancient Egypt: Clothing. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. Krull, Kathleen, and Peter Malone. Big Wig: A Little History of Hair. New York: Arthur A. Levine, 2011. Print. Morley, Jacqueline, and David Salariya. Clothes for Work, Play & Display. New York: F. Watts, 1992. Print. "Political Map of Africa." Political Map of Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. Strudwick, Helen. Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. London: Amber, 2006. Print.

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