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Toothpaste:
Egyptians had a lot of trouble with their teeth, in large part because their bread had grit and
sand in it, which wore out their enamel. While they didn't have dentistry, they did make some
effort to keep their teeth clean. Archaeologists have found toothpicks buried alongside
mummies, apparently placed there so that they could clean food debris from between their
teeth in the afterlife. Along with the Babylonians, they're also credited with inventing the first
toothbrushes, which were frayed ends of wooden twigs.
But the Egyptians also contributed a innovation to dental hygiene, in the form of toothpaste.
Early ingredients included the powder of ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells and pumice, which
probably made for a less-than-refreshing morning tooth-care ritual. Archaeologists recently
found what appears to be a more advanced toothpaste recipe and how-to-brush guide written
on papyrus that dates back to the Roman occupation in the fourth century A.D. The unknown
author explains how to mix precise amounts of rock salt, mint, dried iris flower and grains of
Breath mints
Just as in modern times, bad breath in ancient Egypt often was a symptom of poor dental
health. Unlike us, the Egyptians didn't gorge on sugary soft drinks and foods that contribute to
tooth decay, but the stones they used to grind flour for bread contributed a lot of sand and grit
to their diet, which wore down tooth enamel to expose the pulp of the tooth, making it
vulnerable to infection.The Egyptians had specialists for many medical problems, but
unfortunately, they didn't have dentists or oral surgeons to fix their deteriorating teeth and
gums. Instead, they simply suffered, and scientists who've examined mummies have found
severely worn teeth and evidence of abscesses, even in youthful Egyptians. To cope with the
unpleasant odors from their rotting mouths, Egyptians invented the first mints, which were a
combination of frankincense, myrrh and cinnamon boiled with honey and shaped into pellets.
Makeup
Both male and female Egyptians placed great importance on hygiene and their appearance.
Makeup was worn not only for appearance but also for medical, religious and cultural
reasons. Eye makeup was first invented by the Egyptians around 4000 BC, and it is still in
style. Ancient Egyptians combined soot with a mineral called galena to make a black ointment
known as kohl. They could also create green eye makeup by combining a mineral called
malachite with galena to tint the ointment. Status and appearance went hand in hand, and as
far as the upper class was concerned, the more makeup the better. Fashion was only part of
the reason for the Egyptians' notoriously heavy hand when applying eyeliner. They also
believed that applying a thick coating of the stuff could cure various eye diseases and even
keep them from falling victim to the evil eye.
Whenever you lock your door at night and slide the deadbolt into place, say a prayer of thanks
for the ancient Egyptian invention of door locks. The earliest such device, created around
4000 B.C., basically was a pin-tumbler lock, in which a hollowed-out bolt in the door was
connected to pins that could be manipulated by insertion of a key. When the key pushed
upward on the pins, they slipped away from the bolt shaft, allowing it to be withdrawn.
One drawback of these ancient locks was their size. The biggest ones were up to 2 feet (0.6
meters) in length. Egyptian locks actually were more secure than the technology later
developed by the Romans, who used a simpler design with a spring rather than a bolt to hold
the door in place. The Roman locks were hidden inside the door, but compared to the
Egyptian locks, they were relatively easy to pick.