News Mania Desk/Piyal Chatterjee/5th September 2024
An Ancient Egyptian head cone which is essentially A cone-shaped ornamental hat worn by ancient Egyptians has raised questions about their use .
A study published in the journal Antiquity estimates that the earliest known burials with these “coffee cup”-sized caps date back roughly 3,300 years.Many ancient Egyptian paintings and sculptures from the period between 1550 and 30 B.C. show men and women with tiny, conical caps. According to the Antiquity study, the activities people engaged in while donning these caps varied widely; images depict them participating in hunting, playing music, giving birth, and attending burial banquets.
Archaeologists had never discovered tangible proof of hats in burials until recently; they had only ever seen the caps portrayed in paintings.
However, in 2019, the Antiquity study reported on two interments in tombs in Amarna, an ancient Egyptian archaeological site that served as the country’s capital. Skeletons with head cones found in the tombs demonstrated that the accessories were more than just painterly artistic elements. The cones were fashioned of beeswax, and an examination of the bones showed that neither person had been particularly affluent. Instead, their skeletons showed that they had been workers who had gone without sustenance.
The purpose of the headwear is still unknown to archaeologists. A earlier theory suggested that these caps were made from a kind of scented balm, or unguent, which melted and generated a nice aroma. Given their depiction with the fertility goddess Hathor in paintings, it is also plausible that the cones were believed to aid in conception.
“Scholars often link the cones specifically with sensuality, sexuality and related notions, as they are frequently associated in imagery with women, sometimes unclothed,” the authors stated in the Antiquity study.
