Tattoos

Tattoos, jewellery and other body adornment in ancient Egypt

There has been a lot of interest recently in the newly discovered tattoed mummies from Deir el Bahri. These reinforce what we already know about tattoos in ancient Egypt, that they were reserved for women and that they were related to religion, and to the goddess Hathor. We will look at evidence for tattooing, including that from a type of object represented in the Egypt Centre, a paddle doll.

We will also look at jewellery, including the rather amazing earplugs, so similar to those worn today.

Finally we will consider make-up, not simply a means of beautification but also carried out for religious reasons.

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