Shaved Eyebrows in Ancient Egypt

This little snippet piqued my interest and brought a smile to my face. I guess people in ancient Egypt felt felt as deeply bereft at losing their pets as many people do today.

People in ancient Egypt shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of a household cat. (www.worldanimalday.org.uk)

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Is that why the ancient Egyptians had such dramatic elongated eyebrows? Had they painted over their shaved brows after losing a beloved household feline?

I’m saying this rather tongue-in-cheek because I’ve also read that the ancient Egyptians colored their eyes and eyebrows so dramatically with black to protect their eyes from the sun.

In addition, during my autumn 2000 travel to Egypt, I discovered that some Egyptians follow an ancient tradition of covering their hair with mud and dust when they grieve the death of a human loved one. You can find a description of this practice in my latest book, Arrival of the Gods in Egypt.

Carol Chapman