We may conjecture that the victims represented Osiris himself, who was annually slain, dismembered, and buried in their persons that he might quicken the seed in the earth. Clearly a controversial subject, but one worthy of study. Do we really know, genetically speaking, where the so called dynastic Egyptians came from? Some presume they were exclusively of black African origin, while others speculate that they came from lands to the east, were of a complex racial mix, or in fact had as their source Egypt itself.
Can we tell, based on the facial features of sculptures such as this, presumably of Rameses II, an idea of his ethnic ancestry? What is perhaps far more curious is the presence of mummies from ancient Egypt that had red, and in some cases even blonde hair. Ginger died more than five thousand years ago, yet his golden hair, which gave him his nick name, and even his toe and finger nails were perfectly preserved. The question unanswered is; did Ginger have natural light colored hair, or was it dyed, and if the latter is the case, why?
Hair color is a fascinating study in itself, and the wide range of shades portrayed in Egyptian art does, to a large extent, reflect the diverse range found in reality. The most common hair color then, as now, was a very dark brown, almost black color, although natural auburn and even rather surprisingly blonde hair are also to be found. In the Egyptian government asked French scientists to attempt preservation of the mummy of Rameses. After the work was complete the mummy was returned in a hermetically sealed casket, and it has remained hidden from public view ever since, concealed in the bowels of the Cairo Museum.
The results of the study were published in a lavishly illustrated work, edited by L. Balout, C. Roubet and C. Professor P. Rameses II was 87 years old when he died, and his hair had turned white. Ceccaldi determined that the reddish yellow color of the hair was due to a dye with a dilute henna solution. Microscopic examinations showed that the hair roots contained natural red pigments, and that therefore, during his younger days, Rameses II had been a red head. This beautifully sculptured and painted tomb was built by her mother, Hetepheres II.
Hetepheres was first marrid to Prince Kewab, the son of Khufu, and rightful heir to the throne. Hetepheres placed herself in a wall painting showing her hair or headdress as red. The poor quality of the reproduced photographs make the colors doubtful, but eyewitness reports tell us it was red. About Brien Foerster Brien has explored more than 90 countries but his true passion is researching and writing about the ancient megalithic works found in Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Easter Island, Egypt, England, and beyond.
