12 things Egyptians were the first to create

Egypt, the land of pharaohs and pyramids, boasts a glorious past, whose inhabitants descended from a civilisation once intellectually and technologically the most advanced in the world.

Here are 12 things, which were created by Egyptians before any other civilisation could even think of:

Eye makeup

Egyptians came up with the idea of eye makeup with some of the earliest makeup palettes dating back to circa 5,000 BCE.



System of writing

The innovation of writing in Egypt predated other civilisations’ advancement by hundreds of years. Egyptian hieroglyphics date back to 3200 BCE, and represented the first writing system based on illustrated representations of words or sounds.



Papyrus paper

Egyptians were the first ones to use thin, paper-like stationary for writing, which was made from the papyrus plant indigenous to the banks of River Nile.



Calendar

Ancient Egyptians originally used a calendar year of 360 days, split into 12 months of 30 days each. They also invented the leap year!



Ox-drawn plough

Egyptians used ox-drawn plough to aid irrigation and farming of wheat and other crops on the banks of Nile.



Breath mints

Egyptians invented breath mints - pellets made out of cinnamon, myrrh, frankincense and honey.



Shaving and haircuts

In ancient Egypt, hair removal for both men and women was considered a sign of sophistication and it was an established custom in the society.



The pin-tumbler door lock

The pin-tumbler door lock which is connected to pins that can be manipulated with the insertion of a key were first invented by Egyptians.



Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Egyptians were the first ones to use toothbrushe and toothpaste to clean their teeth as a regular ritual.



Reed pens and black ink

Egyptians were also the first to invent black ink made from water, soot and vegetables gums.



Wigs

Wigs, from human hair and date palm fibres, were used widely in ancient Egypt by both men and women as either a fashion statement or to hide baldness.



High heels

High heels were typically worn by upper class Egyptians, both male and female, while common people would talk barefoot.



Text and photos curated from ScoopEmpire