They were girls too

I was standing in the ROM the other day, and walking through all the exhibits of old jewelry and clothes, it occurred to me suddenly that some of these items once belonged to girls just like me. When we think about women of antiquity, we may think of chipped sculptures and yellowed portraits tucked away in museums. We might also be inclined to think about them as distant, faceless figures in the history of humanity, living within societies in which they held very different positions and rights, and led very different lives from those of women today. Because of this great, imagined chasm between the quintessential ‘modern’ 21st-century woman and a woman of, say, Ptolemaic Egypt, it is easy to forget that the women long before us were, too, girls. They, too, used face creams, followed makeup trends and wore pendants and bangles, just like we do. It is precisely such prevailing aspects of girlhood which transcend entire civilizations and serve as a reminder of our similarities and, importantly, our shared humanity: they were sisters, daughters, mothers, as are we. In particular, by comparing ancient jewelry with similar contemporary pieces, this photo essay explores how ancient women are closer to us than we may think.

The "Evil Eye"

The commonly dubbed ‘evil eye,’ or nazar, was everywhere in North American costume jewelry a few years ago. Bracelets, anklets, earrings, necklaces–you name it, an evil eye pendant came with it. Popularized by the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Ottomans and Persians, it has a history of over 5000 years as a protective amulet, and grew to become part of multiple cultural traditions ranging from the Celts to the Chinese. It’s sweet to think that the little eye that we continue to wear today was also worn by women from entirely different worlds from us.

This article was written by Naz Fakhim!