N.C. McCreesh’s research while affiliated with University of Manchester and other places

Artificial mummification in ancient Egypt involved the application of chemicals to the body mostly for the purpose of preservation; others were applied for ritual aspects. Unguents were used also in everyday toilette. Here we report a type of material which was applied specifically to the hair, a fatty material used as a ‘hair gel’. Personal appearance was important to the ancient Egyptians so much so that in cases where the hair was styled the embalming process was adapted to preserve the hair style. This further ensured that the deceased’s individuality was retained in death, as it had been in life, and emphasises the importance of the hair in ancient Egyptian society.

Hair is one of the least studied aspects of forensic Egyptology and archaeology as a whole. A wealth of information, however, may be gained from even a single strand. Hair is extremely stable and resistant to decomposition and enzymatic digestion (Wilson 2005). Therefore, hair is often the least degraded part of human and animal remains. With the scarcity of archaeological remains, taking a sample of hair is much less intrusive or destructive than more frequently studied samples such as skin and bone.