Archaeologists In Turkey Discovered An 8,200-Year-Old Kohl Pen Thought To Be The Oldest Eyeliner In The World, Pushing The History Of Makeup Back By 3,000 Years
At a prehistoric site in İzmir, Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered an 8,200-year-old kohl pen. It is believed to be the earliest example of eyeliner in the world.
A variety of artifacts that reveal the customs and daily activities of ancient cultures have been found at the Yeşilova Mound. The site was occupied from 6500 to 4000 B.C.E. It is the oldest prehistoric settlement in the region.
The kohl pen could push the history of makeup back by 3,000 years. It would predate similar discoveries from Egypt and transform our understanding of beauty practices in ancient Anatolia.
The Yeşilova Mound is located in the Bornova district of İzmir, Turkey, roughly 75 miles west of Göbekli Tepe, the world’s oldest temple. The settlement was discovered in 2003, and since then, it has been under excavation.
An archaeology team led by Zafer Derin, an associate professor at Ege University, has made several interesting finds at the site. Overall, the team has unearthed nine villages dating as far back as 8,500 years.
They also found the remains of sea bream, sea urchins, oysters, mussels, and a deadly species of stingray, confirming that seafood was an important part of the people’s diet.
In addition, they uncovered ashes from cooking fires and the remains of reeds used to make huts.
The most recent artifact unearthed from the site was a kohl pen with a point at one end that measures roughly 3.7 inches. Ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks have been known to use kohl for aesthetic purposes.
Men and women alike would line their eyes with the black pigment. The discovery of kohl in ancient Anatolia reveals that the practice must have reached that region of Turkey.
EdNurg – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
“There is a black paint residue on the tip of the find. These are called kohl. It is an ornamental tool. This shows that Aegean women 8,200 years ago also cared about their ornaments, were fond of their beauty, and took care of themselves,” said Derin.
The research team conducted a mineral analysis of the kohl pen and identified manganese oxide in the black residue, which was an ingredient in kohl.
Previously, a container meant for storing makeup and personal ornaments was excavated at the site.
People would fill the container with paint and dip a sharpened stone pencil into it to apply their makeup. The method is still used today in some parts of Anatolia.
The discovery is not the first time that evidence of kohl usage and personal ornamentation has been identified in Turkey, but it is a first for the particular region.
Kohl may not have been used exclusively for cosmetic reasons. According to ancient Egyptian texts and paintings, kohl was also used to treat eye diseases.
Not counting the newfound kohl pen, the earliest example of kohl usage comes from ancient Egypt in 3100 B.C.E.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings