“In the Old Kingdom, kings were god-kings,” explains Tyldesley, who is a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester. Yet, in ancient Egypt, the effect wouldn’t have been funny. Moreover his ears, to modern viewers, appear comically large – hardly an attribute, you would think, of male beauty. Although his naked torso is athletic and youthful – idealised, in line with earlier royal portraits – his face is careworn and cracked with furrows. To complicate matters further, there are eye-catching exceptions to the general rule whereby elite ancient Egyptians presented themselves in a stereotypically ‘beautiful’ fashion.Ĭonsider the official portraiture of the Middle Kingdom pharaoh Senwosret III. Recent scientific research suggests that the toxic, lead-based mineral that formed its base would have had anti-bacterial properties when mixed with moisture from the eyes. Take the common use of kohl eye makeup in ancient Egypt – the inspiration for smoky eye makeup today. This is what many archaeologists now believe. Is it possible that the significance of cosmetic artefacts in ancient Egypt went beyond the frivolous desire simply to look attractive? Indeed, perhaps they even set the template for how we still perceive beauty.īut, on the other, there is a risk that we could project our own narcissistic values onto a fundamentally different culture. On the one hand, it is possible that ancient Egyptians were besotted with superficial appearance, much as we are today. Yet, for modern archaeologists, the ubiquity of beauty products in ancient Egypt offers a conundrum. Moreover, this was just as true in death as it was in life: witness the smooth, serene faces, with regular features and prominent eyes emphasised by dramatic black outlines, typically painted onto cartonnage mummy masks and wooden coffins.

In short, ancient Egyptians of both sexes apparently went to great lengths to touch up their appearance.

And, of course, there are lots of striking examples of Egyptian jewellery, including a string of beads, decorated with carnelian pendants in the shape of poppy heads, found in the grave of a small child wrapped in matting.

Cleopatra joyce tyldesley