In 1906, archaeologists uncovered a remarkable wig belonging to an Egyptian woman named Merit while excavating her tomb alongside her husband, Kha, in Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes. The wig, made from dark-brown human hair, was found inside a tall acacia wood box inscribed with Merit’s name, and archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli noted that it still shone from perfumed oils applied over three millennia earlier. The tomb itself was richly furnished, containing the bejeweled mummies of Kha, an architect for Pharaoh Amenhotep II, and Merit, alongside her cosmetic chest, a basket of hairpins, razors, and wooden combs. Most of the more than 500 artifacts from the tomb are now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy.
Merit’s wig was center-parted and crimped, likely achieved by braiding her hair when wet and unbraiding it once dry. She wore the wig atop her shaved or closely cropped hair, a common practice among the Egyptian elite. According to the Egyptian Museum, wigs of this type were often adorned with flowers and diadems, reflecting the popular fashions of the mid-18th Dynasty, as seen in period paintings and statues. Wigs not only allowed Egyptians to sport elaborate hairstyles but also protected their heads from sunlight and lice.
Modern analysis has further revealed the care that went into Merit’s appearance. In a 2016 study, researchers used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to examine the wig and associated combs. They detected plant oils, which likely served as a form of ancient hair gel to smooth and maintain the hair, as well as a mixture of plant gum, balsam, and beeswax. Cholesterol residues found on one comb suggested that Merit had used it personally to style her hair, smoothing it flat and maintaining the wig with the plant-based mixture.
According to Egyptologist Joann Fletcher, wigs and hair extensions have been preserved from ancient Egypt, with the earliest known example dating back to 3400 B.C. The study of Merit’s wig provides a rare glimpse into the grooming practices of ancient elites and illustrates the sophistication of hair care in the New Kingdom. “There is still so much to learn from preserved wigs like Merit’s,” Fletcher notes, reflecting the growing interest in the cultural significance of Egyptian hairstyles.
By combining archaeological evidence with modern chemical analysis, researchers are reconstructing the intimate details of daily life for ancient Egyptians, revealing not just what they wore, but how they cared for their appearance in ways that resonate across millennia.
