Oldest eyeliner in history discovered – with tip still black from its last use 8,200 years ago
Kohl stick found at Yeşilova Höyük in Turkey is the oldest known to archaeologists
THE oldest eyeliner ever found has been unearthed in the ruins of a prehistoric city, revealing humans used makeup over 8,000 years ago.
The kohl stick – a type of eyeliner still used today – was discovered in Yeşilova Höyük, an ancient settlement in western Turkey.
It’s made of green serpentine stone and – remarkably – still has traces of black paint on its tip from when it was last used.
Lead archaeologist Zafer Derin said: “For centuries, kohl has been worn by individuals of all genders, statuses, and socioeconomic levels.
“It has been used in different parts of the world, namely Egypt, the Levant, Syria, Iran, and Anatolia.
“It’s been used from ancient times to the present, and it is still used in many regions today.
“The kohl stick found in Yeşilova Höyük is the oldest known example ever found.
“This may show how much the first Aegean women living in Yeşilova were fond of their beauty.”
The artifact, which is just under 10cm long and a centimetre thick at its handle, was found in a Neolithic layer dating back some 8,200 years.
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Dr Derin said it was “very well smoothed and shaped into a sharp pen”.
It would have been dipped into a container of kohl, and then used like a modern eyeliner pencil.
The black substance at the tip has been sent for analysis, but is thought to be manganese oxide – one of the components of kohl.
Yet its use not have been purely cosmetic, Dr Derin added.
He said: “As it is known from many written texts, paintings, and sculptures in ancient Egypt, kohl was mainly used for the treatment of eye diseases rather than an aesthetic function.
“It was also thought to reduce the brightness of the sun by applying it thickly around the eyes.”
Kohl is made by grinding stibnite, a mineral found in hydrothermal deposits.
The cosmetic, called “al-kuhl” in Arabic, also provides the origin of the English word “alcohol”.
The website for the Yeşilova Höyük excavation can be visited here.