What about considering the iconography from the geographical point of view? If we order in a map of Ancient Egypt the scenes we have found of mourning women that is what we have:
The resulting map is the following:
It seems that the nwn m gesture of pulling the front lock of hair belonged more to the Lower Egypt, while the nwn gesture of shaking hair was more habitual in the Upper Egypt. The exception was the royal tombs of New Kingdom, where the artist included also scenes of mourners (Isis and Nephtys or mourners of the Hereafter) pulling hair. So many questions come now to mind:
- Did the nwn m gesture come from the north?
- Did the nwn gesture have its origin in Upper Egypt?
- Had the nwn gesture its origin in the Myth of Osiris? And was it typical from Abydos?
- Were both gestures from Abydos and nwn m was extended to the north, while the nwn was extended to the south?
- Did the election of one or another gesture depend on the place the burial took place?
- Was the nwn m gesture introduced from the north in the royal funerary habits of New Kingdom?
- While mourners pulled and/or shook their hair in Egyptian funerals, what happened in Nubia?
As we can notice, the matter is still full of questions with no answer. Many doubts come to our mind and we need to study deeper, slowly and with more documents.
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT 