Mirrors in Ancient Egypt
Egyptians cared about their appearance much. Women spend a lot of time bathing, rubbing oils and perfumes into their skin and their many instruments cosmetics to apply makeup and style of the wig. Use a mirror highly polished bronze hand, and a woman would apply kohl, a black dye kept in a jar or pot, to align the eyes and eyebrows, using a "brush" or "pencil" made of reed.
Some Egyptians wore red ocher henna (the powdered leaves of the plant) on the lips and cheeks to look nice. They even had a special oil when you went in the sun your skin does not burn and crack. Some people wore heavy eyeshadow. Due to their love for makeup, mirrors were very popular in ancient Egypt.
Mirrors in ancient Egypt were made by beating a piece of bronze until as thin as a sheet of cardboard. Then it was polished to make it shiny enough to reflect the light in your face. Sometimes, these mirrors have handles made of bone or ivory. Mirrors in ancient Egypt took the form of discs polished metal, usually bronze. In addition to being functional, mirrors developed for religious and funerals. Their circular shape, brightness and quality of reflection offered to Egyptians face the sun and its life-giving powers, and therefore, the mirror became a symbol of regeneration and vitality.
The religious aspect is highlighted in the patterns used to decorate the handles. Papyrus, which is frequently, is another symbol of vitality and the head of Hathor, goddess of fertility and beauty. Metallic mirrors may have been limited to the more well-to-do. For the poor is a reflection in the water should suffice. The handle of the mirror was made of wood, metal or ivory. A stem of papyrus or figure of the goddess Hathor was also common. The handle can also be topped with a head of Hathor. It was particularly associated with the mirror, which has connotations of sexuality and rebirth.
Ancient Egyptian mirror Buhen, temple area in the Middle Kingdom fort the New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, 1400 BC is present in Khartoum, the National Museum. The small female figure which forms the door handles a cap wherein the conical disc is inserted in the mirror. She holds a kitten in his left hand raised. Gold earrings probably once filled the holes in the ears. The mirror was probably dedicated as a votive offering in the temple of Buhen.