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Recent examinations have confirmed the existence of mysterious cone / conical hats or headpieces long known only from graphical representations. Some researchers had theorized they were graphic glosses (analogous to Christian figures' halos) rather than actual objects.
However, the purpose or significance of these cones remains as mysterious as ever.
However, the purpose or significance of these cones remains as mysterious as ever.
FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/curious-head-cones-in-ancient-egyptian-art-were-actually-real-hatsIt Turns Out Curious Head Cones in Ancient Egyptian Art Were Actually Real Hats
Most of the garments depicted in ancient Egyptian art are relatively straightforward to decipher, but there's a particular wearable article that has baffled archaeologists. In statuary, murals, funerary stelae, coffins and relief sculptures dating between 3,570 and 2,000 years ago, people repeatedly appeared wearing cones on their heads, a bit like party hats.
Now, for the first time, archaeologists have actually identified two such cones, crafted out of wax and adorning the heads of skeletons dating back some 3,300 years. The finds were excavated from the cemeteries of the city of Akhetaten, also known as Amarna.
This discovery may finally help to resolve several theories about what the head cones mean, and what their function was back in the day.
"The excavation of two cones from the Amarna cemeteries confirms that three-dimensional, wax-based head cones were sometimes worn by the dead in ancient Egypt, and that access to these objects was not restricted to the upper elite," the researchers wrote in their paper.
"The Amarna discovery supports the idea that head cones were also worn by the living, although it remains difficult to ascertain how often and why." ...