Tha artist in Ancient Egypt followed the rule of depicting children with the side lock of hair.
However, this archetype so common in the Old and Middle Kingdom, had some changes from the New Kingdom on.
Common mourners from the tomb of Ramose. XVIII Dynasty. Photo: wikipedia
It is specially evident in the mourning scenes. Among the mourners usually some young girls can be seen taking part in the mourning performance, crying and rising arms as their adult companions. These young girls could be depicted in a smaller scale or nudes, showing this way their lower status. Also, according to the canon of Ancient Egypt, they should be represented with the side lock of hair. But from the New Kingdom it did not always follow the rule and some variations were introduced in the way of drawing the chiildhoodin Ancient Egypt.
For instance already in the tomb of Ramose, dating from the XVIII Dynasty, there is a group of common mourners in the funerary cortège. Some of them could be young girls due to their smaller size in the depiction, although they appear with the same long hair and the same clothes as the adults. One of them, however, was really a very young girl, due to the samller scale, her nudity and her different hairstyle: a middlelong hair, fringe and sidelock of hair.
Common mourners from the tomb of Ameneminet. XIX Dynasty. Photo www.osirisnet.net
In the tomb of Ameneminet (TT277) from the XIX Dynasty…
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT 