Archaeologists in the Memphis necropolis have unveiled the intact tomb of a 26th-Dynasty official known as the 'Master of the Royal Kohl-Grinders.' The burial chamber features stunning wall reliefs depicting the systematic grinding of minerals for ceremonial eye paint. Crucially, the tomb contained sealed alabaster jars filled with raw antimony-ore samples and the specialized stone pestles used to refine them for the Pharaonic court.
This discovery provides a unique dataset for the chemistry of ancient cosmetics, as the samples represent various grades of purity intended for different ritualistic purposes. The presence of high-quality ore from distant mines in the Eastern Desert confirms the reach of the Late Period trade networks and the highly specialized hierarchy involved in the production of royal beauty and protective unguents.