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| An Ancient Cosmetic Case |
“What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the
sun.” — Ecclesiastes 1:9
UNCHANGING HUMAN NATURE
We can summarize the words of
Solomon above in the simple conclusion that human nature has pretty much stayed
the same over time. Men are men, and women are women. This is nowhere truer
than in the realm of cosmetics and make-up. Cosmetics are, and were, used by
women at all levels of society. Women in ancient times manicured their nails, tweezed
superfluous hair, and outlined their eyes in colors including black, green,
aqua, terracotta and charcoal.
Apparently humankind’s use of
cosmetics dates to pre-historic times. Neolithic burials used red ochre pigments
symbolically, either to represent a return to the earth or possibly as a form
of ritual rebirth, in which the color symbolized blood and the Great Goddess. About
twenty years ago an exhibit related to bathing and the use of beautifying
compounds in the ancient Roman Empire was held in Paris. Called The Bath and The Mirror, one of its most
interesting sections contained information about 144 different powders,
unguents, and other cosmetic materials that had been excavated from various
sites, many reconstituted and displayed in recovered glass or ceramic
containers.
MABEL'S MASCARA
Although the definition and
standards of beauty differ from age to age and across cultures, the one
constant is that women have always relied upon cosmetics to enhance their
attractiveness. Even the derivations of the words themselves tell us
interesting things. Take, for instance, the word mascara. The modern version,
by the way, was invented by Maybelline’s founder, chemist T. L. Williams, for
his sister’s use. His original recipe consisted of coal dust mixed with petroleum
jelly. Since petroleum jelly was called Vaseline and his sister was named
Mabel, he named the resulting concoction Mabelline.
And why is it called mascara? The
Oxford English Dictionary says the word mascara probably came from a Catalan or
Portuguese word meaning soot. How lovely. The word cosmetic, meanwhile, derives
from the Greek kosmetike, meaning the
art of dress and ornament.
JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE
We know more about the cosmetics
of Rome, Greece and Egypt than of the Jewish nation. This is not to say that
women in Israel didn’t use make-up. They surely did, especially the upper
classes. The area was thoroughly Hellenized and Romanized by the First Century.
However, the Biblical prohibition against graven images meant that very few paintings,
mosaics, frescoes or statues depicted
the human form. A great deal of our knowledge of day-to-day life in the ancient
world derives from the artistry preserved in places such as Pompeii,
Herculaneum, the Pyramids, Temples, and other ruins. Though no such equivalent
sources exist in the ancient Jewish world, we do have the Bible as a resource.
LOOKING TO THE BIBLE FOR CLUES
Perfumes and fragrant spices were
a precious commodity in antiquity, very much in demand, and at times exceeding
even silver and gold in value. Therefore they were a luxury product, used
mainly in the temples and in the homes of the nobles and the wealthy. The
Judean kings kept them in treasure houses (2 Kings 20:13). And the Queen of
Sheba brought Solomon, “camels laden with spices, gold in great quantity and
precious stones.” (1 Kings 10:2). Over time the use of cosmetics became
widespread among the lower classes of the population as well as among the
wealthier. Despite this, make-up and cosmetics were not looked upon with favor
in all quarters. When Samuel warns the Jews of the dangers of having kings,
among his warnings he said, “He will take your daughters to be perfumers…” (1
Samuel 8:13)
CREATING THE SECRET FORMULA
The basic recipe for all
cosmetics is pretty much the same — a fatty base, color, and a pleasant scent. To
quote a character in my novel PROMISES,
“They’re nothing but a pinch of product wrapped in a pound of promise.”
Just as T. L. Williams turned to
Vaseline, the ancients relied upon such things as lanolin, a waxy, viscous fat
most often derived from wool, tallow, beef fat, or lard, rendered pork fat.
Before the development of synthetics in the latter half of the Twentieth
Century, modern cosmetics used the same things. Lanolin had the disadvantage of
having a distinctively sheepish smell. Both tallow and lard would keep for long
periods of time without refrigeration if stored in air-tight containers.
Exposed to oxygen in the air, they quickly grow rancid.
Ancient cosmeticians used a
substance called Fuco (red algae)
from the mulberry plant. Cinnabar, mercury sulfide, was also used for
lipsticks. The consistency of the material could be moderated by the addition
of waxes obtained from honey comb or palm leaves, giving it smooth, creamy
texture.
FACIALS, EXFOLIANTS, AND
EMOLLIENTS
Facial masks were made from lentils,
honey, barley, lupine (any of a number of leguminous plants which bear tall
clusters of flowers), or fennel. Animal byproducts such as various internal
organs or the placenta, marrow, genitalia, or gonads of birds, mice, crocodile,
calves, cows, bull, mules and horses were added for vigor and skin tone.
For skin emollients they turned
to vegetable oils, such as olive oil, almond oil, sesame oil and others.
Fragrant resins and/or extracts of aromatic flowers were added to give them a
sweet scent. Plant essences were obtained by chopping and pressing the leaves,
roots, petals and flowers, then steeping them in hot oil. The essence of rose
petals (Rhodium) was produced mainly
in the town of Palestrina along the outskirts of Rome. Various species of
lilies were also used. Myrtle and laurel (Mirtum
and Susinum), Melinon extracted from Quince and Iasminum was extracted from jasmine. Aromatic resins exuded from
certain trees — myrrh, frankincense, balm, balsam were collected as well.
SCENTED OILS AND PERFUMES
These essences and scented oils
could be added to a bath or applied to the body as perfume. Returning to the
Jewish world and Jerusalem for a moment, we find references in the Talmud to perfume
dealers who had shops in the market where scents and cosmetics for women were
sold. Known as The Street of the Perfumers, this area still exists today as a
narrow street in the marketplace in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The ancient Romans were as
beauty-obsessed as any modern society. They studied plants and minerals for
their cosmetic properties. Many Roman noble women owned cosmetic cases, which archaeologists
have uncovered. These wooden beauty boxes contained the same items you would
probably find if you emptied most modern women's purses…a variety of lipsticks
and eye make-ups along with rouge, powders and a foundation for covering skin
blemishes, freckles and other imperfections.
By the time of Christ there was a
far flung and highly profitable industry devoted to gathering, preparing,
packaging, and transporting the raw materials and specialized ingredients used
in the manufacture of various cosmetics. Although called The Spice Route, the
income derived from aromatic plants, balms, essences and the like rivaled that
earned from the sale of medicinal and flavoring items. As the Early Church grew
and spread throughout the Roman Empire, its focus on the life of the spirit,
and rejection of earthly or bodily pleasures, led to a general decline, but not
the elimination, of the use cosmetics and perfumes.
Until next time, we wish you
Peace and Blessings.
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