Hair Status

Rich Egyptians customarilly wore elaborate wigs like this. Nowadays hair styles reflect current fashions but in the ancient world they were many times indicative of status and class difference. In Egypt, decorative wigs were worn by both men and women. The more elaborate the wig, the more important the wearer. In their reverence for human hair, many peoples of antiquity endowed it with mystical properties. Hair, like fingernails, can be cut off without pain or bodily impairment; not only does it renew itself during a lifetime, but the shrinking of the skin makes it appear that hair continues to grow after death. The ancients believed that hair retained some sort of mystical connection with the body even after being cut from the head. Just a note.