Archaeologists are still uncertain about the purpose of the headpieces worn by ancient Egyptians, but it seems that they associated them with sensuality, sexuality, and related concepts.
From 1550 to 30 BC, many paintings and sculptures from ancient Egypt depict both men and women wearing small cone-shaped decorative headpieces.
According to a study published in Antiquity, these headpieces were worn in a variety of contexts, such as during funerary celebrations, while hunting, playing music, or even during childbirth.
A painting found inside the tomb of Nakht in the Valley of the Nobles shows women wearing headpieces. (Photo: Alain Guilleux).
Until recently, archaeologists had only seen these headpieces depicted in paintings and had never found evidence of them in tombs.
However, in 2019, a study of artifacts described two tombs at cemeteries in Amarna, an archaeological site in Egypt that was once the capital of the country.
These tombs contained skeletons with headpieces, proving that these accessories were not merely stylistic motifs created by artists.
An analysis of the remains indicated that the headpieces were made from beeswax. The skeletons suggested that these individuals were laborers who had experienced food shortages.
Archaeologists remain uncertain about the purpose of these headpieces. One prior hypothesis proposed that these headpieces were crafted from a type of fragrant ointment or essential oil that emitted a pleasant scent.
Another possibility is that these headpieces were believed to enhance fertility, as they were depicted in images of Hathor, the goddess of fertility.
“Scholars often specifically associate these cones with sensuality, sexuality, and related concepts, as they are frequently linked in imagery of women, sometimes depicted without clothing,” the authors wrote in the study in Antiquity.
