Through the Eyes of Ancient Egyptians Quiz

Answer: True

Really all one must do is think about the beautiful funeral mask of King Tutankhamen to realize that all believed that the use of kohl was personally valuable for one reason or another. To take it a step further, it was used by both the wealthy and the poor as well, although wealthy people were known to have enhanced their kohl with precious ingredients that had been ground to a fine consistency.

While the first thought might be that wearing eye makeup doesn't seem very manly, it must be remembered that any cosmetic that helped to protect from the glare of the hot sun was important to everyone.

Answer: It could protect them from evil.

So, a makeup that enhanced one's appearance and protected from evil at the same time? Sounds like a deal to me! While there are all sorts of charms and amulets that are believed to offer protection from evil, some ancient people would simply apply kohl to the eyes immediately after a baby's birth.

It was protection from the evil eye, which was believed to be able to harm or curse a person. The ancient Egyptians believed that outlining the eyes with kohl would not only give the person protection, it would also deflect the power of the evil eye back to the person sending it! So - the ancient Egyptians' daily regimen included the application of kohl because eyes without makeup made everyone vulnerable to many different types of maladies. Plus, it was thought to be extremely important to always look one's best.

Answer: Green

Egyptologist Helen Strudwick has noted in her findings that malachite, which is copper carbonate commonly found on the Sinai Peninsula, was popularly used during the Old Kingdom. The ancients called it udju. Throughout the history of ancient Egypt, some art shows that both green and black eyeliner were used. By the time of the New Kingdom, eyeliner made with the black galena, which the ancients called mesdemet, came from the Awsan and Red Sea coastal areas, as well as Punt, became more popular. You know, fashion trends come and go and come around again!

Answer: Horus

Horus was the son of the god Osiris, and his sister/wife, Isis. According to a story in ancient Egyptian mythology, after Osiris was killed by his evil brother Set, Horus and Set battled for control of the land. Set gouged out Horus' left eye, but it was eventually mostly restored using the power of other gods.

When Set was defeated, and Osiris was brought back to life, Horus gave his restored eye to his father, hoping it would help with his resurrection. Also called the wadjet, the Eye of Horus was a symbol of self-sacrifice, healing, and protection, and is a very common symbol on ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Answer: Eber's Papyrus

The Eber's Papyrus, so called after George Ebers who purchased it in Luxor in the 1870s, is the oldest known medical text discovered to date. The 110-page scroll dates back to approximately 1500 BC, and lists a wide variety of ailments and proposed cures; it is apparent that eye maladies were a problem because the documents lists more than fifteen different types, including cataracts.

While some of the cures are a bit ridiculous, insight on the medicinal use of kohl is given. Eye infections were apparently quite common, with the constant wind and sand blowing in one's face, the annual flood of the Nile which brought with it bacterial concerns, and the sun's constant glare, modern scientists believe that the use of kohl eyeliner helped the ancients avoid cataracts, conjunctivitis, bacterial infections, and even blindness.

Answer: Blood

Modern analysis has yielded evidence that a vast variety of ingredients - other than the galena and malachite already mentioned - were used by the ancient Egyptians to make kohl, but there is no indication that blood was ever used. Scientists have found that one of the ingredients used in kohl was zinc oxide, which is still used today as an effective sunscreen. The ancients believed that grinding precious stones, such as emeralds, rubies, lapis lazuli, or pearls for use in kohl would give them insight. Natural ingredients, such as neem, fennel, and saffron could help ward off eye diseases. All of the dry ingredients would be ground and mixed with animal fat - or perhaps milk or even saliva - before application to make the powdery substance adhere to the face.

The palette in the picture dates from 3500-3200 BC. The ancient Egyptians typically mixed their makeups on some sort of a palette made of siltstone or sandstone. This one is made of greywacke, and measures approximately 6.5" x 3.6".

Answer: Stick

A look at funerary items in ancient Egypt gives insight as to how important the use of kohl was there. Of course, the materials used would vary between the rich and poor - just as the type of kohl used was an indicator of a person's class - but it is common to find a mortar and pestle, used for grinding the ingredients, a palette, used for mixing the ingredients, and a variety of storage containers for makeup in all ancient Egyptian burials. While the poor are believed to have had access to premade tubes of kohl or even wore kohl made at home, the wealthy purchased the dry ingredients of the product, sometimes made into tablets, at the market, kept them in ornately designed boxes or kohl pots, and would mix them before application.

The sticks used to apply kohl are described as being rounded on one end, much like a Q-tip. They were made of wood, bronze, ivory, or even gold and silver. Some cosmetics were applied with the finger or a brush, and, although its use is still debated today, it appears that a cosmetic spoon was used for the storage and application of cosmetics. Modern kohl that is sold in Egypt is still sold with a stick.

Answer: Lead

Galena is an ore that is the source of the mineral lead. We know that throughout history, cosmetics were made from materials that were dangerous - such as the white face makeup used by Queen Elizabeth I, known as Venetian ceruse, which was a mixture of lead and vinegar. Did the ancient Egyptians suffer from lead poisoning due to the extensive use of kohl? After having been debated for years, a study in 2010 found, after recreating ancient Egyptian kohl from the use of ancient recipes and remains in tombs, that the lead in kohl actually caused the overproduction of nitrogen monoxide, which in turn made the eyes resistant to some of the bacterial infections that would have been prevalent in ancient Egypt.

In addition the lead, mixed with other ingredients, helped protect the eyes from the glare of the sun.

The study concluded that the kohl did serve a medicinal purpose, and theorized that it was deliberately manufactured with lead because the ancients knew of its medicinal properties.

Answer: Discovery of Egyptian artifacts

Who, in the early 1900s, didn't wish to emulate the lovely Nefertiti, seen in the picture, whose very name means "the beautiful one has come"? Her bust, discovered in 1912 by Ludwig Borchardt, a German Egyptologist, portrayed a lovely woman whose eyes were adorned with kohl. Was it time to cast aside the Victorian view that only loose women wore makeup? People in Hollywood and Bollywood thought so. Charlie Chaplin wore kohl in "The Tramp" (1914), as did people in the cast of "Raja Harishchandra" (1913).

When King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter, people became even more captivated by ancient Egypt, and the influence of the culture spread to other areas of life. During the 1920s the use of eyeliner became a standard practice for those Western ladies who were ready for a change. Like the ancient Egyptians, they were unwilling to leave their homes without the proper makeup.

Answer: Crocodile dung

Again it must be said that the ancient Egyptians believed the eyes were the windows to the soul. Eyes without makeup were especially vulnerable to evil, so it was unthinkable that anyone would ever leave home unprotected and not looking their best. While it may be surprising that kohl wasn't enough to darken the eyes, it is true that Egyptian mascara contained crocodile dung, which further darkened the lashes. Honey helped mascara adhere better, but one can only image that it was a bit of a sticky mess.

So, like kohl, the use of mascara to darken the eyelashes protected the eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. It could have also helped keep lice and gnats at bay! In addition, it was part of very important spiritual beliefs of the people.

Lion urine was used to lighten the hair, swan fat helped alleviate wrinkles, and asses' milk had healing properties - like helping with fevers and healing wounds - as well as improving skin tone.