Egypt has a glorious past,
its people descended from a civilization that was once the most intellectually
and technologically advanced in the world. Because we all sometimes need a
reminder, here’s a quick round up of successful inventions that were created by
Egyptians before any other civilization.
Eye makeup (eye shadow and
eye liner) – 4000 BC
Egyptians were
among the first to popularize the use of eye makeup.
Some of the earliest
makeup palettes date back to circa 5000 BCE, the most common colours being green
(made out of malachite, a green carbonate of copper)
and black (made out of
galena, an ore of lead).
System of writing
(pictographs) – 3200 BCE
Composed of
around 500 symbols, Egyptian hieroglyphics date back to 3200 BCE and
represented the first writing system based on illustrated representations of
words or sounds.
With the
exception of Mesopotamian cuneiform, which emerged independently around 3200
BCE, the innovation of writing in Egypt predated other civilizations’
advancement by thousands of years. The next civilization to invent writing
would be the Chinese in 1200 BCE.
Papyrus paper – 3000 BCE
Made from the
papyrus plant indigenous to the banks of the Nile River in Egypt, ancient
Egyptians were the first among all civilizations to use these thin, paper-like
stationary for writing. By 1000 BCE, papyrus papers were being exported out of
Egypt for use all over West Asia, as they were more convenient than clay
tablets.
365-day calendar – 4000 BCE
Ancient
Egyptians originally used a calendar year of 360 days, split into 12 months of
30 days each. It wasn’t until around 4000 BCE that they added extra five days
to keep up with the solar calendar, for a total of 365 days. In 238 BCE,
Egyptians even invented the leap year. The 365-day calendar, including the leap
year, is still in use in most parts of the world today.
Ox-drawn plow – 2500 BCE
The banks of
the Nile were once fertile agricultural sites, where ancient Egyptians would
grow wheat and a variety of vegetables. The ox-drawn plow made irrigation much
easier and farming much more lucrative.
Breath mints
Sadly, ancient
Egyptians did not have the best teeth in the ancient world (likely due to the
sand residue left in food products by rock grinders), as evidenced by the
presence of rotting teeth and terrible tooth abscesses in the mouths of
mummies. To cover the smell, Egyptians became the first civilization to invent
breath mints, which were originally pellets made out of cinnamon, myrrh,
frankincense and honey.
Shaving and haircuts (the
clean-cut look)
In ancient
Egypt, hair removal for both men and women was an established custom in
society. Body hair was associated with barbarianism and un-cleanliness, whereas
being clean and well groomed was a sign of sophistication. When the Romans
invaded, they looked down on the practice as they believed that body hair was a
sign of masculinity, and a man without body hair must be somehow disabled.
The pin-tumbler door lock –
4,000 BCE
A hollowed-out
bolt in the door is connected to pins that can be manipulated with the
insertion of a key. These locks were much more advanced than those invented
years later in Rome, which were built into the door and much easier to pick.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste –
5000 BCE
Ancient
Egyptians may have had bad teeth due to the rock debris in their food, but at
least they tried to take care of themselves.
They were the first to have used
toothbrushes and toothpaste (made from eggshells and ox hooves) to clean their
teeth as a regular ritual.
Reed pens and black ink – 3200 BCE
Not only were
ancient Egyptians the first to invent papyrus paper and writing, they were also
the first to invent black ink and popularize the use of reed pens. The ink was
made from water, soot and vegetables gums.
Wigs
Both men and
women as either a fashion statement or to hide baldness used wigs widely in
ancient Egypt. They were originally made from human hair and later from date
palm fibers.
High heels – 3500 BCE
The first
images depicting the use of high heels in Egypt date back to 3500 BCE. Nobility,
both male and female, typically wore high heels while common people would walk
barefoot. The only exceptions were butchers, who’d wear high heels in order to
walk over pools of blood from animal carcasses.
Originally Written by Laura Logan
