10 curious facts about hygiene in ancient Egypt

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is widely believed today that in ancient times people were not very concerned about their own hygiene and did not pay much attention to maintaining the purity of the body. However, this certainly does not apply to the Egyptians in any way. Here are some interesting facts about hygiene in Ancient Egypt.

1. Nice breath

The earliest known dentist of antiquity lived in Egypt in 1600 BC. NS. under Pharaoh Djoser and his name was Hesi-Re. However, there is also earlier evidence of dentistry in Ancient Egypt dating back to 3000 BC. An ancient papyrus was discovered with directions on how to treat mouth ulcers. And for those who smelled unpleasant from the mouth, it was recommended to dissolve the balls formed from honey mixed with spices, cinnamon and myrrh, and herbal decoctions.

2. Parasites

The Egyptians had their own methods of getting rid of parasites. To fight lice on their heads, they shaved their heads, and the priests shaved not only the head, but the whole body every other day, since it was considered unacceptable for the servants of God to have lice or any kind of dirt. They also used means such as repellents. So, in order to drive away mice, they were smeared with cat fat, and to get rid of fleas, they made a solution containing soda and salt.

3. Circumcision

The ritual of circumcision was known and practiced in Egypt as early as 4000 BC. Some scholars believe that circumcision was a rite of passage, testifying to the achievement of puberty, and it was also used for the purpose of hygiene. Circumcision was especially widespread among the representatives of the upper classes. Others, on the contrary, believe that this procedure originally meant the stamp of humiliation or slavery. The captured soldiers were castrated, however, seeing that this often led to death, they began to use circumcision for the slaves.

4. Deodorants

The primacy of the invention of deodorants also belongs to the Egyptians. They used citrus and cinnamon aromas for a pleasant body smell. For these purposes, they formed special balls, impregnated with a mixture of various aromas, and treated the armpits with them. They also shaved the armpit hair to reduce odor.

5. Ancient toothbrushes and toothpastes

In graves dating back to 3500 BC. NS. near the mummified remains of their owners were found objects that are, most likely, ancient toothbrushes. They were small twigs macerated at one end. But even more surprising is the fact that already 1, 500 years before that, the Egyptians knew what toothpaste was. In ancient papyri, along with other recipes, the composition of the toothpaste based on dried iris flowers, salt, pepper and mint has been preserved. Scientists have recently confirmed the beneficial properties of iris flowers for dentistry.

6. Graves

The Egyptians paid great attention to their appearance. In their graves, various objects are very often found intended for this - graceful hairpins, combs made of rare and expensive materials, silver and ivory, tweezers for plucking eyebrows made of bronze, razors made of gold, and elegant mirrors, which are carefully polished copper billets.

7. Preventive medicine

The Egyptians attached great importance to the prevention of diseases, and considered proper nutrition to be very important for maintaining health. So, during the construction of the monuments, they tried to make the slaves working at the construction site less sick, and for this they added to their food a lot of onions, garlic and radishes containing natural antibiotics allistatin, allicin and rafanin. And to treat night blindness, doctors prescribed powdered liver to patients, which is known to be rich in vitamin A, which is vital for vision.

8. Eye makeup

The ancient Egyptians were also famous for their amazing eye makeup, which they mastered to perfection. However, it was made not only for beauty, but also helped fight eye infections, which are quite common in tropical swampy areas, such as the territories adjacent to the Nile. After analyzing 52 samples of the remains of ancient Egyptian cosmetics from containers stored in the Louvre, scientists have proven that most of the substances they contain contribute to a significant increase in the content of nitric oxide in skin cells.

And nitric oxide is known to strengthen the immune system, thereby helping to prevent or ease disease. It also turned out that almost all samples were of natural origin, but two were synthetic, that is, specially synthesized.

9. The papyrus with medical prescriptions

In the ancient Egyptian papyrus "Ebers" on medicine, dating back to 1500 BC. e., described the substances that the Egyptians used when washing. Their main composition is alkaline substances and fats, both of animal and vegetable origin. They were used not only for washing, but also as a remedy for skin diseases.

The papyrus contains a huge number of prescriptions and recipes, even tumors are described in it. The medical records compiled by the Egyptians are by far the oldest. This is not surprising, since the Egyptians were more proficient in medicine than in any other field.

10. Female doctors

Women in Egypt were not limited in their choice of profession, they could receive education and further choose any field of activity. Women with a medical background were most likely to choose obstetrics. And in this area the Egyptians had a lot of interesting things. So, as a pregnancy test, they used pearl barley and wheat.

And if, after daily wetting these seeds with female urine for a certain period, they did not germinate, then the woman was not pregnant. Surprisingly, modern scientists have found that the urine of non-pregnant women actually blocks the growth of cereal grains.

And in continuation of the theme of ancient traditions 10 weirdest sexual traditions and rituals from antiquity to modern times.