Introduction
Watch the videos above for an introduction into hairstyles in ancient Egypt.
The study of ethnotrichology is a culturally significant hair grooming practice which reveals that hairstyles in Kemet (ancient Egypt) were not merely aesthetic choices but institutionalised symbols of social hierarchy, identity, and unbroken African tradition. While some scholars, such as Geoffrey Tassie (2008), have documented the role of hairstyles in Egyptian society, it is culturally observant African researchers who have critically challenged Eurocentric biases in Egyptology, particularly the unfounded overemphasis on wig usage and the misclassification of African hairstyles. This article examines the codified hairstyles of dynastic Egypt, their continuity in modern Africa, and the scholarly resistance to acknowledging their natural texture and cultural significance.
Hairstyles as Social and Administrative Signifiers
Tassie’s study notes that hairstyles in ancient Egypt functioned as markers of status, with institutionalised styles distinguishing administrative officials and individuals of authority. However, his work does not sufficiently critique the Eurocentric tendency to dismiss the role of natural Afro-textured hair in favour of speculative wig theories (even where artistic evidence clearly depicts hairstyling).
Culturally grounded scholars have highlighted this discrepancy, pointing out that many Egyptologists:
- Overstate the prevalence of wigs despite a lack of direct evidence.
- Misinterpret African hairstyles as “headgear” or “helmets,” particularly in military and village contexts.
- Ignore the living traditions of these same styles in modern African societies, which confirm their natural viability.
The persistence of these hairstyles across the continent, from the Afar of Ethiopia to the Oromo and Maasai, demonstrates their deep-rooted cultural continuity, and emphasise the practicality and plausibility of these styles in regional use, undermining claims that wigs were necessary for their creation.
The Six Major Styles of Dynastic Kemet
Tassie identifies six core hairstyles used from the Predynastic Period through the Middle Kingdom, all of which are intrinsically linked to Afro-textured hair:
[include artefacts for each hairstyle example]
Shaved (Bald)
Characterised by no hair.
Cropped
A closely shaven or shaped cut, known in modern African communities as a “shape-up.”
Short, Round, and Curly (Afro)
A natural, voluminous Afro, common across the continent.
Tiled Style (Short Twists or Butter Curls)
Small, short, coiled twists, still widely worn today.
The Bob (Slightly Longer Twists)
Medium-length twists, frequently seen among the Afar people.
Shoulder-Length Bob (Long Twists)
Elongated twists, as traditionally worn by the Maasai of Kenya.
Tripartite Style (Full-Length Twists or Sisterlocks)
Thin to medium-sized individual locks, a pan-African tradition.
Additional Variations
Additional variations include the globular (a large Afro), the side plait, and the duplex Buffon plaited, all derivatives of these core styles.
Full Afro
Side Braid
Duplex Buffon Plaited
Eurocentric Misinterpretations and Corrective Scholarship
A persistent issue in Egyptology is the misrepresentation of African hairstyles. For example:
The flat-topped Afro, worn by Kemet’s infantry and villagers, has been erroneously labeled as “helmets” or “headdresses” by some scholars. Culturally observant researchers, however, recognize this style as identical to those still worn by the Oromo and other African groups.
The Short Twist Style (Corkscrew Twist)
The short twist style, prevalent in Egyptian art, has been falsely attributed to wigs “emulating Cushitic hair” without evidence. In reality, Benin bronzes and contemporary Afar and Oromo traditions confirm its natural wear-ability.
Critically, there is a complete absence of non-African hairstyles in dynastic Egypt. No Eurasian, Levantine, or Mediterranean styles appear in the record, reinforcing Kemet’s cultural and aesthetic unity with the broader African continent.
Conclusion
The hairstyles of ancient Egypt were not foreign imports or wig-dependent constructs but organic expressions of African identity. By simply comparing and highlighting the modern African cultural expression of ethnotrichology, which (despite considerable deconstruction during the colonial era) is still being practised, or can be observed through archived photojournalism; we have been able to:
- Heavily critique the narrative of universal wig usage, as such, proposing huge fabrication and exaggeration in it’s subject-wide acceptance.
- Highlight the living continuity of these styles in modern Africa – and relate the importance of the styles as significant ethno-cultural markers of status in certain societies.
- Expose the Eurocentric reluctance to acknowledge natural Afro-textured hair in dynastic art, and it’s unique ability to articulate into the shapes and styles reflected in ancient African portraiture seen in nobility and the wider societies of classical African history.
Moving forward, the study of Kemet must center African perspectives, respecting the integrity of its cultural practices that are often not adjacent to, and as such not reflected in their Eurasian counterparts. The hair traditions of ancient Egypt were, and remain, unmistakably African.
Final Note: While Tassie’s work cataloged these hairstyles, it was culturally informed researchers who challenged Eurocentric distortions. Future studies must further dismantle these biases to present an accurate, unwhitewashed narrative of Kemet’s heritage.
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