A
Since
and
are still widely used today, it is interesting to compare the attitudes, customs and beliefs related to them in ancient
. To those of our day and age.
and
have been popular since the dawn of civilisation; it has been shown by discovering a great deal of pertinent archaeological material dating from the
millennium BC. – Mosaics, glass perfume flasks, stone vessels, ovens, cooking pots, clay jars, etc., clay jars, etc., some inscribed by the hand of the artisan. Evidence
appears in the bible and other classical writings. It is written that
and
were prestigious products known throughout the ancient world and coveted by
and princes. The written and pictorial descriptions and archaeological findings all show how vital
and aesthetic appearance were in the lives of the ancient people. The chain of evidence spans many centuries, detailing the usage of
in various cultures from the earliest period of recorded history,
B
, in antiquity,
were served in religious ceremonies and for healing purposes, at least at the onset. Comestic were
connected with cultic worship and witchcraft: fragrant ointments were applied to the statuary images and even to their attendants to appear the various gods. Over
, from
, developed the custom of personal
to enhance the beauty of the face and the
and conceal defects.
C
and fragrant
were precious commodities in antiquity, very much in demand, and at
even exceeded silver and gold in value.
they were luxury products, used mainly in the temples and in the homes of the noble and wealthy. The Judean
kept them in treasure houses. And the queen of Sheba brought to Solomon camels laden with
, gold in great quantity and precious stones.
, within
, the
of
became the custom of that period. The
of
became widespread among the lower classes and the wealthy; in the same way, they washed the
, so they used to
for the
with substances that softened the skin and anoint it with fragrant oils and ointments.
D
The facial treatment was highly developed, and
devoted many courses to it. They used to spread various scented creams on the face and apply makeup in vivid and contrasting colours. An
papyrus from the 16th century BC contains detailed recipes to remove blemishes, which consisted mainly of flour mixed with fragrant
, leaving it on their face all night. The following day they would wash it off with asses’ milk. The very common creams used by
in the ancient far east, essential in the hot climate and prevalent in that area of the globe, were made up of oils and aromatic scents. Sometimes, the fat in these creams was extracted from olives, almonds, gourds, sesame, or from trees and plants;
, scented animal and fish fats were commonly used.
E
in the ancient past commonly put colours around their eyes.
coloured the upper eyelid black and the lower one green and painted the space between the upper lid and the eyebrow grey or blue. The
of Mesopotamia favoured yellows and reds. The
of kohl for painting the eyes is mentioned three
in the bible, always with disapproval by the sages.
beautification, its purpose was
medicinal as covering the sensitive skin of the lids with coloured ointments that prevented dryness and eye diseases: the eye paint repelled the tiny flies that transmitted eye inflammations.
, Job named one of his daughters.
F
Great importance was attached to the
for
in ancient
. Long
was always considered a symbol of beauty, and
, nobles and dignitaries grew their
long and kept it well-groomed and cared for it.
devoted much
to the style of the
; while not cutting, they would apply much
to it by arranging it skillfully in plaits and building it up sometimes with the help of wigs.
generally wore their
flowing down to their shoulders or even longer. In Mesopotamia,
cherished long
as a part of their beauty and flowed down their backs in a thick plait. And tied with a ribbon is seen in art.
wore their
shorter, braiding and binding it in a bun at the back. In ancient Israel, brides would wear their
long on the wedding day to signify their virginity. Ordinary people and slaves usually wore their
short, mainly for hygienic reasons, since they could not afford to invest in the kind of treatment that long
required.
G
From the Bible and
and
sources and the words of classical authors, it appears that the centres of the trade-in aromatic resins and incense located in the kingdoms of southern Arabia, and even as far as India, where some of these precious aromatic plants were grown. Dealers from Sheba and grammar dealt with you, offering the choicest
. The Nabateans functioned as the essential middlemen in
trade; Palestine
served as a crucial component, as the trade routes crisscrossed the country. It is known that the
queen Hatshepsut sent a royal expedition on the land of a punt to bring back myrrh seedlings to plant in her temple. In
records of tribute and spoils of war,
and resins mentioned, the text from the
of T refers to balls of myrrh as part of the tribute brought to the
king by the Aramaean
. The trade-in
and
are
mentioned in the bible as written in Genesis, camels carrying gum tragacanth, balm, and myrrh.