BARBERS IN KEMET & ANCIENT EGYPT

Barbers have long held a coveted position in history, being highly respected in Kemet and ancient Egypt. The first barbering services were recorded in 5000 B.C. in Kemet with tools formed from flint and oyster shells. Services were not limited to royals and nobility as everyone from soldiers to children could have their heads shaved and facial hair removed.  Hair removal in Kemet was arduous but essential. Both men and women had their heads shaved, a process that helped them stay cool in the heat. The writings of historian Herodotus in 400 BC revealed that Egyptian priests often shaved their entire bodies to avoid lice or any other impurity such as dirt that might interfere with their service to their gods. While in mourning, priests would allow their hair to grow. Razors, tweezers, and sharpened knives such as the one pictured have been found in tombs dating back to 1560 B.C. The great houses of the Pharaohs kept barbers on retainer and extended services to visitors and guests as a mark of hospitality. Barbers held great positions of trust, and served not only in the private sector but for kings and within temple walls. One such responsibility was given to a barber known as Ankhpakhered, a temple barber serving Amun, one of the gods of Karnak. His cartonnage, or funerary covering, was vibrant, colorful, and painted with winged deities. When a person holding a razor to your scalp or your throat doesn’t slip - it’s always a blessing. 
Photo Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

For more information: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/557688?searchField=All&sortBy=relevance&what=Facsimiles&ft=egypt&offset=0&rpp=80&pos=2 and https://www.vice.com/sv/article/wdax4x/a-woman-shorn-the-disruptive-history-of-the-female-shaved-head-345 and  https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/cartonnage-ankhpakhered-barber-amun