Ancient Egypt is an amazing state with complex traditions, aesthetics and fashion. In the appearance of the ancient Egyptians, special attention was paid to hairstyles and their decoration.
Hairstyle as a social marker
The entire population of Ancient Egypt was divided into several classes: priests, slave owners, artisans, peasants and slaves. In classical frescoes, people of different classes were depicted in different styles. Representatives of the upper class, for example, are always beautiful, slender and tall. Pharaohs and their entourage were portrayed in this style. Ordinary people in the frescoes are much shorter and more squat.
Researchers have found that most of the ancient Egyptians wore wigs. The shape of the wig and the material from which it was made indicated a person's social status. Wigs were made from wool, silk, plant fibers. The price of the wig depended on the type of material. The most fashionable colors were considered black and dark brown. Most of the wigs were trapezoidal. Wigs were not only a fashion accessory, but also served as protection from the sun. Sometimes people wore several wigs at the same time to create an air gap. Pharaohs and officials usually wore oversized wigs, while farmers and warriors preferred small ones.
Fashion trends of ancient Egypt
Over time, wigs evolved into ceremonial headgear worn on the occasion of the festivities. Such wigs were curled in large curls, impregnated with perfume and aromatic oils. Moving away from the daily wear of wigs, the Egyptians turned to tight braids and perms. For example, the strands were wound on wooden sticks of different diameters and then smeared with special mud, it dried out rather quickly and fell off, and the strands retained their shape. The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt more and more often grew their own hair; among the girls there appeared a fashion to cut the straight characteristic "Egyptian" bangs.
In all eras of Ancient Egypt, slaves were shaved, they smeared their heads with oils and fats to protect themselves from the heat. The priests of Egypt also shaved their heads and facial hair, but unlike the slaves, they always wore huge, impressive wigs to emphasize their importance.
During the reign of the famous Cleopatra, the fashion for wigs returned. The most relevant were drop-shaped wigs, which imitated a straight parting. Curled hair was decorated with ribbons, leaving the ears open. During this era, wigs were dyed in the craziest colors. On the heads of the Egyptian nobility could be seen orange, red, yellow, blue and even green wigs.
