Ancient Egyptians: They're just like us!

Egyptian mummies were coiffed for the afterlife with the help of animal fat-based hair gel. Bonus moment of cultural weirdness: The article linked here seems to ignore the fact that styling the hair of the dead isn't just some odd thing the ancient Egyptians did. In fact, it's a common facet of modern Western burial practices. (Via Rowan Hooper)

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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MORE: ancient Egypt • anthropology • archaeology • Culture • death • Science

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The Snowden Principle

peromyscus

I’m not sure that “vanity” is the right word. ”I’ll probably live until I’m 47 and then I’ll be dead for a gazillion billion years. All my friends and all the priests say I’ll meet god and be judged by him. This may be Apis-shit, but no-one seems to think that’s the case. So, should I do my hair first, or just have my rag-clad carcass thrown to the jackals?” I’d have gone for the former, myself.

The article doesn’t say how they knew the living ancient Egyptians used “a cone of animal fat”. Are they sure? I use a solid but olive-oil based hair-dressing (yeah, all right, that’s vanity) and there are plenty of vegetable-based soaps and unguents as well.
- Jerril
  
  As far as I know, “animal or vegetable fat in his hair” is actually one of those things that’s easier to answer on a mummified corpse than “What colour was his skin in life”.
  - peromyscus
    
    Well, I guess. But I wish they’d specify. The official wording in these articles leaves me thinking about Pharoahs and concubines with a sugarloaf-sized cone of lard on their heads. Seems a little declasse.
travtastic

Style my deadhead all you want, it’s just going to burn off when I get shot into the sun.
pjcamp

Jesus Christ! Was that composed on a Pac Man? Reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLdKW_Db1k
sockdoll

with the help of animal fat-based hair gel

I’m a Dapper Dan man, myself.