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  • 12/27/2010

How Women Applied Makeup 3000 Years Ago

Part 1

makeup

By: Ehsan Yaghmaie

To describe how Iranian women applied makeup many thousand years ago, is a difficult task. To say that how female cave dwellers used to array and beautify themselves within the geographical sphere now known as Iran, is not easy and the answer to such a question can be found only by a few archaeological excavations and rare records unearthed from ancient times. From a few records survived from such a time it is evident that not only women but men also used to apply cosmetics and that their makeup stemmed from religious beliefs rather than beautification ends.

Archeological discoveries dating back to about 10 thousand years ago in several caves such as the Kamarband Cave, the Hooto Cave (in Mazandaran) and Bisotoon Cave in Kermanshah show that women and men used the bones and teeth of hunted animals and even colorful stones to beautify themselves.

Thus, the remains of animal horns, colorful stones and the skins and shells of aquatic species such as bivalves point to the first human makeup material in Iran. Exploration and research in Iveh and Gol plains in Bakhtiari region (the heart of Zagros mountainous range), has also led to a series of evidences. In the caves of this region, which were the first hunting man"s settlement at the end of the ice age, production of stone tools became popular. In these settlements besides scythe-shaped stone tools, daggers, wide shredders, grindstones and ..., several pieces of hematite stones have also been discovered from which red dye was extracted. Most probably this dye was used to paint male and female face and bodies, because the caves which served as shelter for women and children during hunting or war or emergency conditions, were void of images and paintings. The history of these human settlements dates back to 20 to 40 thousand years ago!

Although in Ganj Dareh (Hersin, Kermanshah) the first town/village in Iran, constructed some 8 thousand years ago (which has been wholly destroyed now), no painted walls or paintings on walls have been traced, several samples of animal bones on which they have worked reveal that the bones were used as ornamental material to beautify human beings. In the excavations made in Zagheh Dasht ancient region in Qazvin, in a building which the archaeologists believe to be a prayer house, the walls have been decorated with a margin in regular geometrical and cremated images. The ornaments contains six parallel rows in alternate black and white and the length of the margin is approximately 30 centimeters. The residents of Dashte Qazvin and cave do not, however, seem to have applied makeup in the same manner that they decorated their prayer house.

Discovery of Comb

With the expansion of civilization centers and combination of various cultures, one can trace more relics. For example the first series of combs were unearthed in the burnt city of Zabol and the oldest comb belongs to 4,700 years ago. So much art and test is applied for the adornment and perfection of these combs which leads us to say with confidence that such art had flourished earlier. The only difference is that we have not found yet older combs in our archaeological excavations. The combs can be divided into two categories.

1. Rectangular wooden combs approximately 6 x 5 cm in size with 20 to 30 tooths of 2 cm height at the two sides of which some embossed ornaments are visible.

2. Quadrangular wooden combs approximately 4 x 4 cm in size, 15 to 20 teeth of 2.5 cm height which are ornamented by parallel or cross section lines. Such combs have continued for four centuries. Also a wooden shoe mold (if it can be called as a decorative article) has been traced. Nowadays botany has revealed remains of tamarisk, poplar and elm trees in the Kerman burnt city which makes us believe that such items were more abundant several thousand years ago and that the Zaboli artists succeeded to make better use of their green and cheerful territory.

Excavations in a radius of several kilometers in the same area has led to discovery of agate, pearls and other semi-precious stones. Such stones were most probably used with the turquoise (which was probably imported from Badakhshan, Afghanistan) and the assorted types of necklaces, bracelets, rings... shows how much the people (and specially women) of the burnt city were aware of the value of cosmetics and their application. Meanwhile as long as no older combs are discovered we must owe invention of the comb to Sistani women and that the combs were invented both for makeup and decoration.

Withe Powder and Red Powder

Five thousand years ago apparently Kermani women and men were more in love with makeup and decoration than any other civilized tribes. The first indication of use of white powder has been traced in this area by archaeologists in Iran. Dr. Mir Abedin Kaboli, the head of the Shahdad or Khabis exploration team in Kerman, thus describes the Iranian cities: "...Without exception every tomb or every pair of stones contained white powder made of lead or silver. As a consequence the archaeologists at Dashte Lut believed that men also used to array themselves. Nearly all the vessels were full of white powder. Besides white powder some tombs contained small metal vessels (smaller than a saucer) or very small bowls whose bottom and body was painted with a red matter. ... Couldn"t these matters be red powder?"

This red matter that the explorer believes to have been used by women and men to redden their cheeks is most probably the hematite stone which has not only been discovered in Shahdad but also in the Iveh and Gol plains and Tappeh Yahya (Yahya hill) in Jiroft, which was another civilization metropolis in Kerman region.

Tweezer, an invention by Shahda citizens

As long as no tweezers are traced in other regions at an earlier period we must consider them as the invention of the Shahdadian people. In graves dug in this center of ancient civilization, tweezers have been discovered similar to modern tweezers only smaller in size and employed exactly for such purposes besides white powder.

In addition to many other applications jewels and minerals such as agate, turquoise, limestone or plaster stones, gold, silver, lead, bronze and even shells were among the various instruments used for makeup or decoration in Shahdad which is really astonishing. In the excavations carried out in 1971 a very delicate bracelet made of turquoise, white stone and silver was discovered which can be considered as the most ancient decorative inlaid work. The archaeologist who has discovered this bracelets, has given the following description: ".... The beads are very small and thinly polished. The bracelet is made of rectangular silver gems and in between the two gems three tiny beads were laid. Besides silver gems a number of thin silver beads with three holes accompanied the bracelets which were probably bored to adjust the beads. When red, white and blue tiny beads are arrayed in three rows with silver gems, it will render special charm to the bracelet. The structure of jewelry fabricated by Shahdadi artists such as necklaces, bracelets, foot and nose ornaments, earring, ring, fetters, ornamentals pins for hairs or dress, semi crown, ... are more or less geometrical in shape. These artists were so advanced in their fabrication of jewelry and ornaments that they even painted images by herbs on beads and special agate. Fabrication of such makeup and ornamental material called for very advanced craft. Also the artists were quartered at a special district in the city. Thus Dr. Kaboli explored large areas to reach the ornamental implements and material and in the end he discovered a district which he named the jewelers and smiths" district.

To be continued ...

Source: iranchamber.com

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