Hygiene in Ancient Egypt was actually disgusting. From Shepherds of the bum to crocodile dung being
a secret remedy, I know that if I had a time machine, I wouldn’t go back to Ancient Egypt
for very long. Welcome to Nutty History and let’s find out what hygiene was like in Ancient Egypt.
While Egyptians revered Dung Beetle or, as they called them, scarab;
they were tormented by insects of a more parasitic nature such as lice. Lice was so
common and rampant among Egyptians that even the Holy Bible mentions the plague of lice in Egypt
as an act of God. Egyptians had to take drastic measures to keep these pesky bugs from living in
their bodies rent-free and sucking their blood. People in Ancient Egypt would remove every
bit of hair from their bodies using tools like knives, and blades, and tweezers to avoid lice
infestation. But leaving one’s head uncovered in the scathing heat of the Sahara Desert
wasn’t really smart either. Thus, Egyptians came up with the idea of wearing perfumed wigs. Yes,
the same perfumed wigs that centuries later became common with European nobility. You know,
the kings and queens who flaunted their long curly fake hair in portraits to hide their syphilis.
Yup, those Europeans! Till the second intermediate period of Egypt, these wigs were made of human
hair only. But between the seventeenth and fifteenth century BC as Hyskos took over ruling
Egypt they introduced a new animal and means of transportation called horses. This also changed
the wig game forever too because wig manufacturers had horse hair now which was cheaper and more
durable to produce wigs. Wigs were made in different styles to be worn on separate occasions.
It was common to wear different wigs in a family gathering, a fashionable event, or a festival. In
fact, wigs were designed in different fashions to meet this need. As in all other areas of Egyptian
life, the wealthy could afford the best wigs which were sometimes braided with jewelry or fine gems
and perfumed. The lower classes wore wigs woven from papyrus plants or shaved their heads and
simply wore a head covering. If lice manifested in a wig, they could easily throw it out and get
rid of them. Wigs also kept their heads cool in hot weather. Yet despite all these efforts, it
seems Egyptians never got rid of lice completely. Archaeologists have even dug up several mummies
infested with lice. Lice weren’t the only parasites thirsty for Ancient Egyptians blood,
especially in the fertile, damp lands near the shores of the Nile. Egyptians were so irritated
with the pesky insects buzzing in their ears that they had to make tall efforts to avoid
being bitten. Literally tall! Wealthy Egyptians would build huge towers around their bedrooms
to avoid mosquitoes. Because of the long towers, mosquitoes weren’t able to fly high enough against
the wind to infiltrate the barrier. However, those who were not wealthy enough to afford to
build tall bedrooms would wrap themselves with nets like a mummy when they slept. Almost every
common household in Egypt had a fishing net that they would use at night like sleepwear.
Mosquitos could still attempt to bite through linen and cloth, but they leave the nets alone.
Most of the modern world associates the practice of circumcision with religion. However,
for Egyptians, it was just for logical purposes. Living in an arid climate with sand everywhere,
Egyptians wore very little clothing to cover themselves. Though this sort of dressing made
sense and definitely was comfortable, it had its downside as well. As we all know nobody likes
sand, “I don’t like sand, it's coarse, rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere”. And when we
say everywhere, we mean inside there too! Sand getting up in the foreskin and causing irritation
and sanitary issues was one of the reasons why circumcision was practiced in Ancient Egypt.
Later, they began to believe that circumcision was a necessary practice for cleanliness and
purity. The belief grew to the extent that it became a religious practice and ritual.
It is believed that uncircumcised men were not allowed to visit holy places in Ancient Egypt.
And while men circumcised their members in the name of cleanliness and sexual health,
women took care of their genitals as well by regularly shaving or removing their pubic hairs
with other means. Ancient Egyptian women were comfortable with their sexuality and
considered shaving down there as a necessary grooming practice to be ready for intimacy.
They also thought it was a neat way to keep fleas and lice away from their private parts.
In many ways, Ancient Egyptians were quite like our modern society when it came to
personal hygiene. Like us, they never forget to clean their teeth before leaving the house
and possibly at night before bed too. Egyptians were among the early users of a toothbrush like
Chinese and Indians and evidence of it dates back to the Predynastic Period. The original Ancient
Egyptian toothpaste is now lost to the ages but historians have confirmed that in later ages,
Egyptians used a mixture of mint, rock salt, pepper, and dried iris flowers. They would
ground the mixture into a fine powder and apply to the teeth. The saliva in the mouth would turn it
into a paste. For toothbrushes, they first used a stick with one end frayed to a brush-like fan
but down the years they developed a notched stick with thin strips of a cut plant tightly bound into
the notch as bristles. The plant used for this very modern-looking brush was most likely papyrus.
However, that was not enough for Egyptians obsessed with looking and smelling good.
So, to keep their breath fresh and pleasant around the whole day, they would also suck on
breath mints. And they had more flavors than Tic Tac can offer you today! Frankincense, cinnamon,
melon, pine seeds, and many more natural flavors were used to make these ancient breath mints often
mixed but used separately as well. Egyptians would mix them with grounded cashews and honey used as
bonding ingredients and sweeteners. Heated over the fire and then left to cool slightly,
the mixture will form into small candies which were produced both domestically and commercially.
Archaeologists were able to find some jars and bowls which presumably contained these amazing
breath mint candies. And though these candies had no sugar in them, having sand everywhere meant it
invading their mouth and wearing their teeth down. To counter this, Egyptians came up with
dental practices of filling and using splints to keep loose teeth in place. Several mummies
were found with bridgework done using teeth that were not their own. But, according to historians,
it's difficult to say if the dental work had been completed during their life or after.
Sir John Harrington is credited today for inventing the flush toilet in 1596 for his
mother Queen Elizabeth the First. However, the legend goes that the sound of the flushing scared
the Queen so much that she would not go anywhere near it. Interestingly the patent of flushing
toilets goes to Alexander Cummings who had it registered in 1775. Despite the fact that it
took another 50 years for indoor plumbing to become a common thing in modern times,
wealthy Ancient Egyptians had indoor bathrooms and washrooms. However, they had no plumbing or sewage
system. Many of the toilets owned by wealthy Egyptians featured seats made of limestone.
The stone sat on top of a box filled with sand, which someone had the unfortunate job of emptying
and they did not pay minimum wage back then..The Poor people of Ancient Egypt were so fortunate
that they would just dig a hole outside and relieve themselves. Almost seems like camping.
To make matters worse, a large number of people also used the Nile as their toilet. Since ancient
Egyptians had no sewage system, waste and other garbage often wound up in pits, open fields, or
canals, contaminating the river and fields where people grew their food. Despite the Egyptians'
efforts towards cleanliness, disease due to unsanitary conditions, vermin, parasites, and
insects took many lives each year. Hence that is why there are seven plagues of Egypt in the Holy
Bible. Still, Egyptians cared a lot about their personal hygiene. The average Ancient Egyptians
took baths every day. Of course, the wealthy had indoor bathrooms where they would stand on a stone
slab and their servants would pour the water on them carrying it from River Nile. You know the
same River Nile they were dumping you know what. Some upper-class homes also had foot baths made of
wood, stone, or ceramic which they used to clean their feet since many people didn't wear shoes.
Egyptians used a natural substance called natron as soap and slathered themselves with moisturizing
creams after they bathed to make their skin soft and to protect themselves from the sun.
Members of the lower classes, which included most of Egyptian society, bathed themselves in the Nile
River. But cleanliness wasn’t just about the exterior of the body. Ancient Egyptians treated
their body as a temple and getting sick was seen as a mark of offending the gods. That’s why use
of purgatives and laxatives was encouraged by priests and healers to cleanse the body
from potential diseases. Egyptians would consume laxatives like castor oil thrice a month even when
they were suffering from diarrhea. OOF! Egyptians also used enemas to cleanse their interiors and
employed proto-proctologists to examine their anuses. Interestingly these proctologists were
known as “Shepherds of the Anus”. Man, they were quite deep into it! …err no pun intended!
Unlike Greece and Rome, there was very little difference between men's and women’s social status
in Ancient Egypt. Both genders worked actively in all fields of work and both genders applied makeup
and perfumes. They also got manicured without any reservations. Yes, you heard it right! Manicures
were quite common in ancient Egypt, but let’s talk about cosmetics first. Cosmetics were used
not only for looking gorgeous but also for health reasons. But before they reached for their mascara
and rouge, Egyptians also used sunscreen and moisturizer made of animal byproducts to survive
in a sunny, hot place like Egypt. They also used plant products like linseed or castor oil
and added honey to help diminish the appearance of scars and retain their youthful appearance. After
smoothing their skin with oils and face masks of honey or aloe, people applied eyeshadow, mascara,
and eyeliner. Eyeliner was popular not only as a beauty statement; the kohl people used to line
their eyes to protect them from the sun's glare and repel flies. While the wealthy procured these
cosmetic products from the market, commoners would just grind the ingredients at home and manufacture
them on their own. And it wasn’t just cosmetics, I mean obviously, Old Spice wasn’t around back then,
so Ancient Egyptians manufactured their perfumes and deodorants as well. In fact, they had a wide
variety of them. Smelling nice was a huge deal for Egyptians back in ancient times. And using
oil as the base, they would craft perfume adding fragrant spices and herbs such as cardamom,
mint, and juniper. They were also fond of fragrances not native to Egypt in the likes
of nuts of the moringa, almonds, and horseradish. A perfume called kyphi was the most prized and
expensive of all the ancient Egyptian perfumes and owning it was considered a status symbol.
As perfumes were costly, the lower class would use deodorants and less expensive homemade fragrances.
These deodorants were made with ground herbs, roots, and flowers combined with oil to make a
cream that could be applied to their armpits. Some women would add scents to wax and spread
it on top of their heads before going out. As the heat would melt the wax,
the scents would release like an aromatherapy diffuser. Ladies just be careful not to catch your
hair on fire… To clean their fingernails and make them look beautiful with nail paint and trimming,
the wealthiest of Egyptians would hire professionals. These manicurists had a
distinct place in society and got proper job labels on their tombs after passing away.
Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing creepy or weird about their recipes.
In fact, Egyptians had some of the best dishes of their time. However, the preparation of food was
an entirely different matter. Earlier in this video, we talked about how the Nile was used
as a majority of the population’s bathroom and toilet. Not only that, but Egyptians also washed
their clothes on the same banks of the river where they would relieve themselves as well as gather
water to bring home for cooking. Don’t throw up just yet we’re not done. In lower-class houses,
food was either made on the floor of open-air rooms with no utensils involved or on the roof if
the house was too small to have a kitchen. These places were quite infested with vermin and adding
contaminated water from the Nile and the floor’s dirt to the food was just a recipe for disaster.
Imagine roaches the size of your thumb scampering around and furry rats pooping and peeing on the
same surface where one would knead bread and mince the meat. And if it was roof, add some bird feces
for flavor as well. No wonder a lot of Egyptians die every year of infectious diseases. So, what
do you think? Were Egyptians hygienic or filthy? Tell us in the comments! Do check out these videos
about creepy things that were normal in Egypt and if you want to see more hygiene-related videos,
how about Ancient China? And don’t forget to leave a like! Oh and thanks for watching Nutty History!