Through the Eras

FashionRelief of Amunmose in New Kingdom hairstyle. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 65.196, CHARLES EDWIN WILBOUR FUND. REPRODUCED BYPERMISSION.her so greatly. The scent of a god’s hair also helps identifyhim.UNISEX STYLES. During the reign of Akhenaten(1352–1336 B.C.E.) men and women could wear nearlyidentical styles. The most popular unisex style was theNubian wig. This hairstyle consisted of tapering rowsof tight ringlets in layers. Such hairstyles can be foundin sub-Saharan Africa in modern times and most likelyderived from hairstyles in Sudan (ancient Nubia) duringthe New Kingdom. Another Nubian style worn inNew Kingdom Egypt was the rounded wig. This wighung in ringlets to the nape of the neck. Both men andwomen wore the Nubian wig and the rounded wig.Moreover, both royalty and commoners wore thesestyles. The royal wearers had more complex wigs, butbasically the styles were the same for all. These styles,however, were abandoned at the end of the EighteenthDynasty. During the Ramesside Period (Nineteenth andTwentieth Dynasties, 1292–1075 B.C.E.), long hair wasthe defining stylistic characteristic. Men continued towear the lappet wig, and women still wore envelopingand even tripartite wigs. But now men’s hair could reachbelow the shoulders. Women’s hair could reach theirwaists.SHAVED HAIRSTYLES. Both male and female childrencould wear the so-called “side lock of youth.” Inthis style, most of the head was shaved, except for along tuft of hair gathered at one side and usuallyplaited. This style also associated the child with certaingods who played the role of a child within a divinefamily. In many periods of Egyptian historypriests shaved their heads, and perhaps other parts oftheir bodies, to achieve ritual purity. Especially in theRamesside period, artists depicted processions of baldpriests carrying the god’s boat or performing other ritualactions.Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 99