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(Jan. 12, 2010)-There's more to the eye makeup that gave Queen Nefertiti and other ancient Egyptian royals those stupendous gazes and legendary beauty than meets the eye. Scientists in France are reporting that the alluring eye makeup also may have been used to help prevent or treat eye disease by doubling as an infection-fighter.
Their findings are scheduled for the Jan. 15, 2010 issue of the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Analytical Chemistry. Christian Amatore, Philippe Walter, and colleagues note that thousands of years ago the ancient Egyptians used lead-based substances as cosmetics, including an ingredient in black eye makeup. Some Egyptians believed that this makeup also had a "magical" role in which the ancient gods Horus and Ra would protect wearers against several illnesses. Until now, however, modern scientists largely dismissed that possibility, knowing that lead-based substances can be quite toxic.
In earlier research, the scientists analyzed 52 samples from ancient Egyptian makeup containers preserved in the Louvre museum in Paris. They identified four different lead-based substances in the makeup. In the new study, they found that the substances boosted production of nitric oxide by up to 240 per cent in cultured human skin cells. Modern scientists recognize nitric oxide as a key signalling agent in the body. Its roles include revving-up the immune system to help fight disease. Eye infections caused by bacteria can be a serious problem in tropical marshy areas such as the Nile area during floods, the scientists note. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians may have deliberately used these lead-based cosmetics to help prevent or treat eye disease, the researchers suggest, noting that two of the compounds do not occur naturally and must have been synthesized by ancient Egyptian "chemists."
As written in the recently published paper, "The present data thus establish that the eyes of Egyptians bearing the black makeup were presumably prone to immediately resist a sudden bacterial contamination with extreme efficiency through the spontaneous action of their own immune cells. Indeed, it is well recognized today that in most tropical marshy areas, such as was the Nile area during floods, several bacterial infections are transmitted to humans following any accidental projection of contaminated water drops into one's eye.
"These data fully support that Horus' and Ra's protection that ancient Egyptians associated with this makeup and particularly with its laurionite component was real and effective, despite the fact that its 'magic' implications seemed a priori totally irreconcilable with our modern scientific views and contrast with our present understanding of the toxicity of lead ions. One cannot evidently go as far as to propose that laurionite was purposely introduced into the composition of the makeup because of any recognized antibacterial properties.
"Yet, one can presume that ancient Egyptian 'chemists' recognized empirically that whenever this 'white precipitate' was present in the makeup paste, their bearers were enjoying better health and thus decided to amplify this empirical protective function by specifically manufacturing laurionite. Many examples of such subtle observations and medical conclusions that would have a priori been surprising can be found even in our recent history. It is sufficient, for example, to think about the historical origin of penicillin, aspirin, or quinine.
Posts: 6572 | From: N.Y.C....Capital of the World | Registered: Jun 2008
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Whenever Egyptians practices and customs are written about - even when the scientific nature of it is evident - its always written about in the context of "magic". Whenever its the Hebrews its called "faith"; while the Greeks are presented more often than not as the ancient "rationalists". Its all political.
Posts: 4254 | From: dasein | Registered: Jun 2009
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^ Yes but usually in scholarly especially scientific sources like the one above there is no bias in terms of religious beliefs, or at least there shouldn't be. What makes you think that just because they regarded the beliefs of ancient Egyptians as superstitious that they wouldn't do the same for ancient Israelites or Greeks??
Anyway, getting back to the topic, such findings were discovered years ago and is old news. In fact I remember this topic being posted a few times before including many years back. A better question I have is what relation does the eye khol used by Egyptians have with those used by other African groups even today. As I understand it eye khol makeup is used by East African groups like the Afar all the way to West African groups like the Fulani. Obviously the custom of khol eye make-up is an African one that is far old and probably more ancient than Egyptian culture itself.
Posts: 26307 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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