Beauty In The Ancient World: Ancient Cosmetics Shops Discovered In The City Of Antandros

– Women’s interest in cosmetics goes back to very ancient times. In the ancient city of Antandros in the northwestern province of Balıkesir, Turkey archaeologists have unearthed ancient cosmetics shops.

Built by the Pelasgians, the city of Antandros was of military strategic importance. It became a settlement area in 2,000 B.C. and the seized during the Trojan War.

According to Strabo (64 or 63 BC – c. 24 AD), a Greek geographer, philosopher, and historian the first ever beauty contest between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite with Paris acting as a judge took place in the ancient city of Antandros. So, perhaps we should not be very surprised archaeologists are now discovering traces of ancient cosmetics shops in the region and that that women have been interested in such products for millennia.

The adjacent shops were unearthed as the works neared an end in the ancient city.

“This year’s works focused on finding the entrance of a Roman villa and finding the dimensions of the house. We found the traces of shops right below the Roman villa, which covers an area of some 1,200 square meters. We found eight shops in the southern part of the city.

Two of these shops were excavated. We found bowls in good condition in these shops. It is understood that the shops were mostly used for the sale of food, cosmetics and ceramic products. They were not public shops but owned by private individuals,” Ege University Professor Gürcan Polat said.

During excavations at the site a Roman-era villa, a sewage system and a number of tombs have been unearthed.

Many ancient civilizations used makeup and cosmetics and the use of these products has been documented by historians.

Although cosmetics were certainly used for the purpose of beautification, in ancient Egypt, eye makeup did more than paint a pretty face.