Excavations at Myra show ancient hairstyles same as today’s

ANTALYA

AA Photos

Findings obtained during the Myra archaeological excavations carried out by Mediterranean University revealed Lycian women hairstyles 2,400 years ago were the same as today. 

Some plait styles of ancient ages still continue today. Some noble women even preferred more extraordinary hairstyles. 

Professor Nevzat Çelik said according to artifacts found during the excavations and reliefs on rock tombs, they had found the hairstyles of women who lived in the region 2,400 years ago.

He said by looking the reliefs in Lycian graves and monumental structures, they found detailed information about the lifestyles and social status of Lycians. 

Çevik said they had examined the masks and female figures in many city structures in the ancient city of Myra. He added that the depictions were only rendered readable with coloring by the team, according to previous findings. 

Çevik said the hair drawings were made by Isabella Benda Weber of the Österreichisches Archaeology Institute in Vienna. 

“The works show that some hair plait styles of 2,400 years ago still exist today. The ancient hairstyles are today’s punk models... These hairstyles, which we find extraordinary today, were normal in the ancient ages. They were mostly styles of noble women in ancient ages because rock tombs belong to the noble-class. The reliefs depict the life of the noble. But fashion is for everyone. We can say that these hairstyles were used by normal people, too.” 


Hairstyle as a status symbol 

Çevik continued: “People did not have to be rich or poor to comb their hair. They combed their hair in similar ways. Even though the cosmetic containers, jewelries, manicure and pedicure sets were used by the rich, these artifacts shed light on the general lifestyle. These things continued existing in the Roman and Byzantine eras after the Classical Age.”

The professor said that women were highly dominant in the social structure in the Lycian civilization and their dominancy could even be seen in laws.

He said he gathered his 27 years of work in the Lycian region with a book titled “Lycian Book” over four years. 


Combing still the same

The deputy head of the Myra excavations, Mehmet Kayhan Murat, said the female figure was dominant in many monumental structures, including the theater, in ancient Myra. 

He said that today’s social life styles were still the same as they were in the ancient ages. “From our clothes to shoes; everything is a continuation of the past. The human brain is always the same but time and progress is different. Hair styles are a continuation of the past, too,” he said. 

Murat said hair styles changed in every culture and region, adding, “Ancient-era women used to backcomb their hair and this is still the same. Also, materials used to make hair curly also existed in the past, too.”