Mª Rosa Valdesogo Martín (Madrid, 1968), is graduate in Ancient History and Archaeology in University of Barcelona (UB) (Spain). While she was in the University she worked in archaeological sites in Spain and France (Paleolithic and Roman) digging and classifying materials.
From 1992 to 1995 she took the Master in Egyptology, having teachers as Jesús López (CNRS, Paris), Nadine Guilhou (Paul Valéry, Montpellier) or Pacal Vernus (École Practique des Haute Études, Paris). In 1993 she was awarded a degree with the research: “Hispanics from Roman Empire in Egypt”.
In 1995 she started the Doctorate and the doctoral thesis “Hair in Funerary Context in Ancient Egypt from the Coffin Texts of Middle Kingdom” under the direction of Dr. Nadine Guilhou. She presented her first paper of it in French language in the Eight International Congress of Egyptologists in Cairo (http://guardians.net/hawass/congress2000/congress_programme.htm.).
After some months in Montpellier for finishing her research, she got the Doctorate degree in Egyptology cum laude in 2000 in Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
From 2000 to 2008 she has been teaching Egyptian Art and Ancient Hisory in the university UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona-UAB) and in AVLA AEGYPTIACA (a Private Foundation) the following subjects: History of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian Art, Matters of Egyptian Art, Amarna Period, The Coffin Texts, Amarna Period, The XVIIIth Dynasty.
She also combined her activity as teacher with conferences and congresses:
- 2004 “The Theban necropolis” (Asociación Española de Egiptología-AEDE).
- 2002 “Mourner: wife and mother. The Woman and the Resurrection of the Death”. IV Seminar about Near East
- and Ancient Egypt, University of Madrid.
- 2001 “The Opening of the Mouth step by step”. Summer course “Death and Resurrection in Pharaonic Egypt”, University of Madrid.
- 2001 “Erotic language of Hair in Ancient Egypt”. III Seminar about Near East and Ancient Egypt, University of Madrid.
- 2001 “Tknw, the Human Victim and the Ritual Sacrifice of Hair”. II Spanish Congress of Egyptology, University of Barcelona.
- 2000 “Le cheveu dans le contexte funéraire, d’après les textes des Sarcophages: symbolisme et rituel”. Eight International Congress of Egyptologists, Cairo.
- 1998 “Hair in Funerary Ambit in Ancient Egypt. Symbolism and Rites”. First Meeting of Ancient Egypt Researchers, University of Madrid.
She combined courses and conferences with writing some books and articles:
1.“El Arte Egipcio. Cómo interpretar y comprender la obra plástica del Antiguo Egipto ”, ed. Dilema, Madrid. 2011.
2. “El cabello en el ritual funerario del Antiguo Egipto. Simbología y ritos”. AAE-Studia 4. Barcelona. 2005
3.“La víctima humana (tekenu) y el sacrificio de cabellos”. Actas del II Congreso ibérico de Egiptología (12-15 de marzo de 2001). Barcelona, 2004.
4.“Le cheveu dans le contexte funéraire, d’après les Textes des Sarcophages: symbolisme et rituel”. Proceedings of the Eight International Congress of Egyptologists (28 march-3 April 2000). Cairo. 2003
5.“El arte egipcio”; en: Cervelló, J. (coordinador), El Antiguo Egipto. Introducción a la civilización faraónica. Barcelona, Ediuoc. 2002.
6.“La religión egipcia” (colaboración); en: Cervelló, J. (coordinador), El Antiguo Egipto. Introducción a la civilización faraónica. Barcelona, Ediuoc. 2002.
7.“Cosas cotidianas, imágenes para la resurrección”, Ir a buscar leña. Estudios dedicados al prof. Jesús López. Colección Aula Aegyptiaca-Studia, vol.2. Barcelona, 2001.
From 1998 to 1999 she has also worked for a publisher, making tasks of illustration and writing in EGIPTOMANIA, a collection of fascicles published by Planeta deAgostini.
From 2000 to 2005 she has been a member of AVLA AEGYPTIACA and during the year 2003 she managed the Foundation, being in charge of a team and a budget. She is also member of EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY (EES)
Nowadays she is working in a new script about Egyptian Art and she is in charge of the blog in English “Hair and Death in Ancient Egypt”.
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT 
Ola Dr Rosa … Have you come across references to the vulture headdress that has not survived in the archaeological record? Any idea from what materials it was made? Looking at the symbolism and iconography of ancient Egyptian headdresses for honours project. This topic may also be expanded for a masters as I have found so much interesting information.
Dear Stephanie, I am sorry but I am afraid I cannot help you in this matter for the moment. I will try to check among my collegues and see if someone can give us some references. By the moment I have just make my research on the mourner’s hair, but not on the headdresses or crowns. If I can have some information I will let you know. Thank you very much for following the blog!!! We keep in touch.
Hi Stephanie,
I guess you meant the Nekhbet Crown worn by queens and goddesses. I have read from Dr. G. J. Tassie that it was probably made of gold.
Anyway, the one who may have more references of it is Dr. Geoffrey John Tassie. He has studied this subject in his thesis, so maybe he could help you much better than me.
As you can read in the blog he has made some comments on it,so you maybe can contact throught them with him.
Kind regards
Dr Rosa I hope you don’t mind me leaving a message on here, but I didn’t want to put a comment on the Facebook page in case I distracted others from the subject. On looking deeper in to the scene from the book of caverns from the tomb of R.1X I checked to look at the same scene in the tomb of R V1 (Piankoff) I couldn’t find the same scene but came across a scene from the second division showing 9 divinities holding locks of their hair. The first is called “O’mourner of the great lock of hair” the 8th is called “O dishevelled one, Lord of his hair” and further on this, “Afflicted ones in the Netherworld of hidden countenances who wear the Locks of hair”. The more I look at the books of the underworld now after following your blog, the more I seem to see regarding hair!
best wishes,
Glyn
Hi Glyn, I do not mind at all to receive messages here. The scene you write about it also exists, as long as I remember, in the tomb of Ramses IX (in the corridor). This gesture of pulling hair made by divinities of the Netherworld is obviously taken from the earthly life. The Book of the Caverns has as main point the destruction of the enemies of the sun god. Maybe this scene of pulling the front lock of hair should be related to the assimilation we have seen in our research between lock of hair and enemies. I do not know why scholars have not payed attention to this gesture, in my opinion this scenes in the tombs of XX Dynasty have not been yet really studied. I am not an expert at all in the Book of the Caverns, but I guess to pull the front lock of hair here is not gratuitous. The first version of this book comes from the Osireion and it also has scenes of goddesses pulling their front lock of hair. That cannot be just a coincidence!
Thank you Glyn for following the blog!
Best wishes!
MªRosa Valdesogo
Hello Dr. Rosa,
I am trying to create a line of natural hair care products that use the same ingredients that ancient Egyptians used for their hair care. Do you happen to know what some of those ingredients would be? (Specifically for the equivalent of shampoos and conditioners) And do you happen to know of any accessible records of such ingredients?
Thanks a lot,
Chris
Hello Chris,
I am afraid I am not an expert at all in that subject. I study the hair just from a symbolical and religious point of view. Anyway, you could take a look at the Edwin Smith Papyrus, which is a medical text with many treatments for wounds, diseases…and also there are some beauty treatments, which incluide the ingredients they needed.
I hope this can help you.
Many thanks for following the blog!!!
Mª Rosa Valdesogo
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My congratulations for your very interesting articles.
Go on !!
Thank you very much for your kind comment. It is a pleasure to write for such a clever and sensitive audience. In some months the book will see the light, so I cannot stop writing, I have to go on!!! Thank you again!!!
Hello! Congratulations on your choice of an interesting and unique subject. I wonder if you’ve ever given any thought to unraveling the questions surrounding hair (a wig? a scalp?) and the goddess Khensyt (Khensit, Khenset; Chensit in LÄ I, 923)? Specifically, I refer to pBrooklyn 47.218.84, (XVI, 10 – XVII, 3) = § 53 in D. Meeks, Mythes et Légendes du Delta d’après le papyrus Brooklyn 47.218.84, MIFAO 125 (2006). There are frustrating lacunae in the source papyrus, however, your perspective and experience may be especially valuable in making sense of the text. Regardless, best wishes and thank you for the interesting work.
Hello Mr. Ketring. Thank you very much for your kind words!!!!It is great to find so engaged people!!! Regarding to your comment, I have to confess, that I am not too aware of the role of goddess Khensyt. I just know she was already from the Old Kingdom in Egyptian Pantheon, but she became “popular” in the Late Period and probably as a form of Hathor. Sincerely, I do not why she was considered a “divine wig” and for answering you I should study deeply this manuscript, which I have never worked…After you commnet I realise, that there is still too much “homework” to do…I will try to watch at it…Thank you very much for your kind comments and or following the work!!!
You’re welcome. I hope you find it rewarding.
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