The first wigs that we know about were in use in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with cleanliness. They washed several times a day, and saw being hairless as clean and civilized (as opposed to wild animals, or those they thought of as primitive peoples). Both men and women wore their hair cropped or shaved. Hair was removed by shaving, depilatory creams, or even by rubbing it off with a pumice stone. They wore wigs to keep the sun from burning their scalps. They were made of either natural or artificial hair, and were held in place by beeswax and resin. Wealthier individuals had elaborate decorative wigs topped with perfumed cones, which acted as a status symbol. Wigs were also in use at various times in other ancient civilizations, including the Assyrians, Jews of ancient Israel, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans.
Egyptian canopic jar, c. 1349–1336 BC.