30 juni 2026 | Women, goddesses and the power of hair

Women, goddesses and the power of hair: Female hair customs in ancient Egypt

Many studies on ancient Egyptian hairstyles have emphasized the importance of hair and wigs within the culture, particularly as markers of social status. Among both men and women, head hair, wigs, and hair extensions, as well as their stylisation, functioned as visible indicators of rank and identity. However, female hair also carried deeper symbolic meanings.

Since the Predynastic period, it has been associated with fertility and eroticism, as reflected in iconographic representations of women and in textual sources, particularly in tales and poetry. Female hair is further understood as an instrument of fecundity in funerary texts, where the hair of goddesses – especially Isis, Nephthys, and Hathor – emerges as a powerful element contributing to the protection and regeneration of the deceased. 

Drawing on a combined analysis of textual, archaeological, and iconographic evidence, this lecture will explore women’s hair customs in Ancient Egyptian society, showing how they reflect cultural perceptions of female hair and link social identity, fertility imagery, and vital forces.

Léa Henrich is a PhD candidate in Egyptology at the University of Lille, affiliated with HARTIS – UMR 9028 (ULille, CNRS, MC, Inrap). Her research project, “Hair as an Adornment: Cultural Practices and Social Uses of Hair in Pharaonic Egypt”, examines facial and body hair, both natural and artificial, and its role in the construction of identity in ancient Egypt. Her work combines textual and archaeological evidence.

Women, goddesses and the power of hair: Female hair customs in ancient Egypt

Many studies on ancient Egyptian hairstyles have emphasized the importance of hair and wigs within the culture, particularly as markers of social status. Among both men and women, head hair, wigs, and hair extensions, as well as their stylisation, functioned as visible indicators of rank and identity. However, female hair also carried deeper symbolic meanings.

Since the Predynastic period, it has been associated with fertility and eroticism, as reflected in iconographic representations of women and in textual sources, particularly in tales and poetry. Female hair is further understood as an instrument of fecundity in funerary texts, where the hair of goddesses – especially Isis, Nephthys, and Hathor – emerges as a powerful element contributing to the protection and regeneration of the deceased. 

Drawing on a combined analysis of textual, archaeological, and iconographic evidence, this lecture will explore women’s hair customs in Ancient Egyptian society, showing how they reflect cultural perceptions of female hair and link social identity, fertility imagery, and vital forces.