ANCIENT Egyptians really did wear wax cones on their heads, according to archaeologists who have found two bodies at Amarna ... a mere 20 kilometers from Antinoopolis ... which have beeswax cones on their heads.
The exact purpose of these cones is unknown, although it has been assumed they were soaked with perfume which slowly released its scent as the cones melted on the wearers' heads.
But many experts have believed the cones never truly existed ... but were only iconographic symbols on the wall murals of Egyptian tombs.
But the discovery proves the wax cones were real.
The team of archaeologists, in collaboration with the Ministry of Antiquities, analysed these head cones, which were discovered in Akhetaten (now known as El-Amarna). The cones, made of beeswax, were found in a non-royal grave.
According to team leader Anna Stevens of Monash University in Melbourne, "By melting and cleansing the hair, the cones might have ritually purified the individual, placing them in an appropriate state to participate in rituals."
While the discovery of these cones shed new light on the headwear of people in Ancient Egypt, their exact purpose is still unconfirmed, raising more questions than they answer.
Amarna was built by the pharaoh Akhenaten and occupied for only 15 years, (1347-1332 BC).
But despite this brief existence, the city contains thousands of graves, including those of many non-elites.
Archaeologists from the Amarna Project have been working with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities to investigate them, shedding light on the ordinary people of ancient Egypt.
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