The ancient Egyptians customarily bathed regularly. The Ebers Papyrus describes combining animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like material used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing.
It is said that Cleopatra, Queen of Ancient Egypt, took baths in asses’ milk to preserve the beauty and youth of her skin. Legend has it that no less than 700 asses were needed to provide the quantity of milk necessary for her daily bath.
In the Old Testament, washing or bathing was enjoined by the law for purification from uncleanness of any kind such as leprosy (Leviticus 22v v 6). The high priest bathed himself on the Day of Atonement before each act of expiation (Leviticus 16 v 4, 7 & 24) and also his consecration (Leviticus 8 v 6).
The ancient Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and believed it unmanly to have a hot bath. They did not use soap, instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of ashes, clay, pumice and sand, then anointed themselves with oil. They then rubbed off the oil and dirt with a skin scraping instrument known as a strigil.
The ancient Romans made soap from animal fat and wood ashes, but these early soaps were apparently used only for medical purposes. Not until the 2nd century AD were soaps recognized as cleaning agents.
It is said that Cleopatra, Queen of Ancient Egypt, took baths in asses’ milk to preserve the beauty and youth of her skin. Legend has it that no less than 700 asses were needed to provide the quantity of milk necessary for her daily bath.
In the Old Testament, washing or bathing was enjoined by the law for purification from uncleanness of any kind such as leprosy (Leviticus 22v v 6). The high priest bathed himself on the Day of Atonement before each act of expiation (Leviticus 16 v 4, 7 & 24) and also his consecration (Leviticus 8 v 6).
The ancient Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and believed it unmanly to have a hot bath. They did not use soap, instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of ashes, clay, pumice and sand, then anointed themselves with oil. They then rubbed off the oil and dirt with a skin scraping instrument known as a strigil.
The ancient Romans made soap from animal fat and wood ashes, but these early soaps were apparently used only for medical purposes. Not until the 2nd century AD were soaps recognized as cleaning agents.
Fear of impurity prevented nuns removing their clothes to wash, until a hygienic vision revealed to St Brigitte that the Lord would have no serious objection to a proper bath once a fortnight.
There were areas of the medieval world where personal cleanliness remained important. Daily bathing was a common custom in Japan during the Middle Ages. And in Iceland, pools warmed with water from hot springs were popular gathering places on Saturday evenings.
The Vikings were considered overly concerned with cleanliness for bathing once a week.
In mid 19th century America bathing was thought to be unhealthy, partly because of the poor quality of water. In Boston for instance, bathing was outlawed unless it was done under a doctor's orders.
Mid 20th century heavyweight boxer Tony Galento would avoid bathing before a fight so he could distract opponents with his body odor.
An estimated 30 and 50 million people attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013 and Allahabad Ardh Kumbh Mela in 2019 respectively to bathe in the holy river Ganges in India. Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river and they were probably the largest ever human gathering on a single day in history.
Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing or cleaning yourself
Sources Inventors.com, Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc
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