Ancient Egyptians Had Some Cooky Customs

As advanced a civilization as ancient Egypt was, they had some wacky customs spanning from quirky to horrific. Everything from the custom of mummification to their recipe for toothpaste should make you glad to live in the modern day. Here are 20 creepy things that were considered normal in ancient Egypt. 

1. Temples Were Filled With Crocodiles

Crocodiles were worshipped as gods of water in ancient Egypt and were a symbol of strength. As a result, they were kept captive in temples and commonly mummified or kept as pets. 

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2. Mummification

Everyone associates mummies with ancient Egypt. However, the actual mummification process was pretty gross. It entailed removing the person's innards and drying them before placing them in jars, rinsing the body with wine and spices, salting it, stuffing it, and wrapping it. 

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3. Mourning Was A Profession

Death was a pretty big deal in ancient Egypt. Funerals were a way to show status, so paying people to mourn dramatically made the deceased look more important.

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4. Siblings Would Get Married

We now call it incest, but back in ancient Egypt, it was common practice for brothers and sisters to marry. This is because two important deities, Osiris and Isis were siblings who were married. 

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5. Guilt For Crimes Was Decided By The Gods

The judicial system in ancient Egypt was a little unfair to say the least. Firstly, criminals were presumed guilty before innocent and additionally, their fate was sometimes decided by the Gods. 

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6. Wearing Fake Beards

One strange custom of pharoas was wearing fake beards. They saw actual facial hair as unhygienic; however, since Gods were often depicted with beards, they wore fake ones to symbolize their divinity.

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7. They Worshipped Cats

The ancient Egyptians took being cat people to another level. They believed cats embodied the Goddess Bastet, possessed magical powers, and brought good luck.

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8. They Bathed In Sour Milk

Ancient Egyptians, particularly Cleopatra, were known for bathing in sour donkey milk. It was apparently to enhance the softness and whiteness of their skin. 

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9. They Dressed Wounds With Moldy Bread

It might sound gross, but the ancient Egyptians might have been onto something when they treated wounds by wrapping them in moldy bread. This is because fungi produces certain chemicals that kill bacteria, preventing or treating infection.

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10. The Wealthy Shaved Their Heads

Anyone who was anyone in ancient Egypt was bald because they were obsessed with hygiene and lice was a constant problem. The upper class would wear wigs fashioned out of human and horse hair instead.

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11. They Used Toothpaste Made From Ground Hooves

As mentioned above, the ancient Egyptians cared a lot about personal hygiene. They were aware of tooth decay and extended their hygienic practices to their teeth, but of course they didn't buy their toothpaste at the pharmacy. They made it out of a mixture of burnt eggshells, ground up ox's hooves, and ashes. 

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12. They Mourned Their Cats By Shaving Their Eyebrows

Ancient Egyptians really had a thing for cats. So much so that when someone's cat died, the owner would shave their eyebrows and mourn the cat's death until they grew back. 

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13. Criminals Would Lose Their Noses

In Egypt, there was a settlement called Rhinokoloura where criminals were sent in exile after having their noses chopped off as punishment for their crime. Add this to the fact that their guilt was decided by the Gods and you have the epitome of cruel and unusual punishment.

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14. Cat Killers Would Receive Capital Punishment

We already mentioned a number of times how revered cats were in ancient Egypt. As it turns out, they were even more important than humans. If someone killed a cat, even by accident, they were executed.

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15. Crocodile Droppings And Honey Was Their Birth Control

In ancient Egyptian times, women would make a vaginal suppository out of crocodile dung and honey for birth control. As crazy and gross as that sounds, it actually worked as crocodile faeces has some spermicidal properties.

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16. They Elongated Babies' Skulls

Elongated skulls were a sign of beauty, divinity, and status. As such, ancient Egyptians used to bound their babies' heads so as the cranium grew, it would form into an oval shape, differentiating themselves from lower class people. 

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17. They Sacrificed People

In ancient Egypt, they had a practice called retainer sacrifice in which servants were put to rest with their masters so they could accompany them to the afterlife and continue to serve them. Sounds like a bad deal for the servant.

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18. They Made Children Kings

Because the throne was hereditary, infants would be made pharoahs, the most famous of which was Tutankhamun who took the throne at age 9. Of course, kids don't know much about anything so it's safe to say you shouldn't have them in charge of an empire. 

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19. Police Commonly Beat Confessions Out of People

More than common practice, it was practically part of the job description of authorities to beat people with sticks until they confessed. Just because the ancient Egyptians had a law system, it didn't mean it was fair. 

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20. One Of Their Punishments Was To Be Burned Alive

Speaking of cruel and unusual punishment, it wasn't extremely uncommon for people to be burned alive, considered the most horrific death possible but ancient Egyptians. As such, it was the worst form of punishment a person could receive, not for any violent or ferocious crime, but for disrespecting the Sun God.

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