Textile Doll from Roman Egypt, c.100-200 CE: this ancient doll is decorated with real human hair, gold jewelry, gilded leather cuffs, and embroidered linen
This artifact is nearly 1,900 years old. It's housed in the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection at the National Museum of Berlin, which provides a more detailed description:
The doll's torso is made of flexible stuffing covered in linen, while the head is framed by a magnificent turban-style hairstyle of real hair. The delicate face, its appearance enhanced by large almond-shaped eyes and a small mouth, is almost entirely concealed beneath it.
Above: a close-up of the doll's head and face
The figure is adorned with tiny pieces of jewelry that were crafted from gold, and its neck, wrists, and ankles are also encircled by gilded leather cuffs:
The doll wears a poncho-like dress with an embroidered neck opening over a short undergarment of finer linen. The jewelry is exceptional. The earrings are made of genuine gold leaf, and the rings around the neck, ankles, and wrists are made of leather with a gold leaf overlay.
This makes the doll one of the most luxurious of its kind, suggesting it likely belonged to a child from a wealthy family. The hairstyle allows for parallels to be drawn between female hairstyles from the time of Emperors Hadrian (117–138) and Antoninus Pius (138–161).
This doll has a height of just 14.5cm (5.7 inches).
Sources & More Info:
National Museum of Berlin: Textile Doll with Gold Jewelry
