03x03 - Beauty

[bunniefuu]

♪ He's a total man ♪

- What does it all mean?

This is where the archeology has been found.

Oh, hi. How are you?

Look at that.

I need a planter.

♪ From the mountain tops ♪

- A shrine to a belly button.

This is a rock of salt?

♪ He digs for clues ♪

♪ In his dusty boots ♪

- Look at that.

♪ He's a total man ♪

- No one gets into this place?

- No one

- Nice one. Don't take me too far.

Now that's naked archeology.

♪ For his archeology ♪

♪ For his archeology ♪

♪ For his archeology ♪

- Sound set?

(soft music)

Rolling

- [Narrator] Well, what's this?

Checking up?

Absolutely.

Scientific part of beauty.

The latest from Loveliness Laboratories.

(whistling)

- Today, looking fabulous, smelling fabulous

is a multi billion dollar industry.

They sell us makeup, perfumes,

all kinds of stuff.

And what they're really selling us

is the promise of a better life.

But how important was it to look fabulous

in Biblical times?

And what can an archeology tell us about the beauty industry

in the ancient world?

My first clue comes from the Talmud.

The Jewish book of Rabbinic law,

where it clearly says

that husbands in ancient Israel

had to provide a monthly allowance to their wives

so that they could buy makeup.

But I plan to take that Rabbinic law one step further

by making my own ancient cosmetics

for my beautiful wife, Nicole.

(upbeat music)

But first I'm going to need to do some research.

So I'm going on a quest to uncover

the beauty secrets of the ancient world's

most beautiful women.

And who better to start with than Queen Nefertiti?

Nefertiti was married to Pharaoh Akhenaten

back in the th Century BCE.

And ever since archeologists uncovered her bust,

now on display at the Berlin Museum,

Nefertiti's name has become synonymous

with the ancient beauty.

(whistling)

To learn more about Nefertiti's beauty secrets,

I'm meeting with Nefertiti expert, Michelle Moran.

You're the Nefertiti expert.

- Well, I like to think of myself

as very knowledgeable about Nefertiti.

I did write a book on it.

- She was a beaut, wasn't she?

- She was a incredible beauty.

- Her name Nefertiti means?

- The perfect or beautiful one has come.

- I gotta tell you, there's very few busts

from the ancient world that are jaw dropping,

and Nefertiti, the first time I saw her my jaw dropped.

- It truly is one of those experiences.

When you look at her

and you see the crown sweeping off her forehead,

her high cheek bones, small smile on her lips.

She looks like someone who could be on a modern day catwalk

- [Simcha] According to Michelle Moran,

Nefertiti shaved her head bald.

You see back, in the ancient world,

head lice was a scourge that caused

all sorts of sickness and disease.

So to protect themselves, both Egyptian men and women

shaved their heads completely.

And then compensated by wearing fake beards and wigs.

- If you were Nefertiti, you would start off your day

putting on your Nubian wig,

which was cut high in the back

and came to a point under your chin.

After your Nubian wig, you would then apply kohl,

streaks of dark, black kohl, K-O-H-L to your eye

and that was partly cosmetic,

and partly because it kept the sun

from glaring in your eyes.

It acted as a a reflector.

- [Simcha] Not to be confused with coal, the fossil fuel,

ancient kohl was an eye paint

similar to modern day eyeliner.

It was made by grinding lead sulfite into a fine powder

and then mixing it with castor oil.

Painting eyelids with kohl not only gave the appearance

of bigger and brighter eyes,

it also protected against the harsh desert sun.

The only drawback was that kohl

also caused lead poisoning and death.

(screaming)

But that still didn't stop the Egyptians

from making kohl the most popular form of makeup

in the ancient world.

And at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem,

they have a sarcophagus that shows exactly

how an Egyptian woman would have painted her face

with kohl years ago

- It's clearly a high class wealthy woman

who was buried in a very elaborately designed coffin,

with very elaborately painted face

and is probably a perfect example of an Egyptian woman

how she paints her face.

There is a black line above and below.

The eye brows are painted as well very-

- But that was aristocracy, right?

- No, not really.

Everybody was using some cosmetics.

Cheaper or more expensive doesn't matter,

they were using cosmetics on daily basis.

- [Simcha] From Egypt, kohl soon spread out

to the rest of the ancient world.

And women from Babylon to Jerusalem

were soon painting themselves with kohl.

These ancient Kohl containers attest to that.

Found all over Israel and the Near East,

these containers were absolutely essential

to an ancient woman's basic makeup kit.

And some of them are even small enough

to fit into a modern woman's handbag.

I feel like I have enough background

to start learning how to make my own line

of ancient cosmetics for my wife.

Now I need to go shopping for the right ingredients,

and I have to find the recipe for kohl

that won't lead to lead poisoning.

♪ He's a total man ♪

♪ He's a total man ♪

(upbeat music)

- I'm on a quest to find out

how people back in Biblical times

kept themselves looking beautiful.

And I figure the best way to do that

is to make my own line of ancient cosmetics

to give to my wife.

Especially since I found out

that providing makeup for my wife

corresponds to ancient Rabbinic law.

But first I'm going to need the right ingredients.

So I'm meeting with Dorit Cohen

at the market in downtown Jerusalem.

She's a make-up artist and an expert in ancient cosmetics

and she's agreed to take me shopping.

We're in the market place.

Can you show a wide sh*t of the market place?

Can you see we're in Jerusalem?

I'm here with the lovely makeup artist

and an expert in ancient makeup,

and she's brought me here.

So I suspect that maybe in ancient days,

they put potatoes all over their faces.

See over there,

and or maybe rice or maybe chicken.

They first smushed the chicken on their faces

and then they ate them, am I right?

- Yeah!

They ate one each other

because they were very tasty.

- They licked chicken off each other's faces?

- Yeah, yeah.

- No, you don't really mean that, do you?

- No. (upbeat music)

- [Simcha] According to Dorit, there's only

a few natural ingredients I'll need

to make my own line of makeup.

First on the list is almonds.

It's a healthy substitute for the lead the ancients used

when they made kohl.

- Okay, in those days they used to take the almonds,

burn them and then it turn to black.

And then they're gonna use it for eyes and eyebrow...

- Wow, that sounds cool.

- It was healthy and beautiful.

(soft music)

- Next I'll need to pick up some olive oil,

which the ancients used as a base for all their cosmetics.

Look, olive oil.

We got olive oil here.

Extra virgin olive oil.

Although I have to confess I never understood,

how do they know?

How do they know?

- They know what?

- Never mind.

Last but not least is honeycomb,

which the ancients used to make their own lip balms

and skin creams.

We found it. The honeycomb.

(upbeat music)

We've now gathered the basic ingredients

to make my own line of ancient cosmetics.

But just as we're leaving the market,

we run into my old friend

who has a few beauty secrets of his own.

She's a make-up expert and I'm buying all kinds

of natural things with her advice.

Look at this.

- Now is skin magic from etrog.

You see etrog?

- Yeah. - Its skin magic.

- It make you new in second.

- I wanna explain what he is talking about.

This is an etrog.

An etrog is a citron.

It's the granddaddy of the modern lemon and lime,

and Jewish people use it

during the Feast of Tabernacles.

What my buddy here does,

is he makes a special juice out of it which rejuvenates you.

All the stuff, you can eat and you can smush it...

This you put on your face?

- No, no, no.

- This you don't put on your face?

- No, this on the bread.

- On the bread? - Yeah.

- This is on the bread.

Doesn't he look good? (laughing)

He's years old.

He uses these products.

How old are you

- !

- [Simcha] I now have the basic ingredients I need

to make my own line of ancient cosmetics.

But to learn how to put this ingredients together,

I'm meeting with Suri Provisor

at the Ein Ya-El Living Museum in Jerusalem.

(upbeat music)

She's going to teach me how to make my own perfume,

a protective skin balm and a version of ancient kohl

that won't cause lead poisoning.

It's kohl that we're starting with first

- The ancient Egyptians, they always wanted

the most exclusive stones and everything

'cause they were kings.

To make their kohl they didn't use almonds,

that was only part of the recipe.

They used lead, copper, malachite,

chrysocolla, very unhealthy.

- Lead is not good for you.

- Not really, it's what lead poisoning comes from.

- Yeah.

First step is roasting the almonds.

So I burn it?

One second.

- [Suri] Burn it, where's the stick?

- You want me to burn it totally?

- I want you to totally char it.

They're ready. - Okay, it's ready.

- I think its ready.

- What a guy.

Now that I've charred the almonds black,

I have to grind them down into a paste

by mixing them with almond oil.

- You know they say that men wore as much make up

as the women.

(upbeat music)

- Suri has just told me that even men wore kohl

back in Biblical times.

In fact, tradition says that the Biblical Joseph

was betrayed and sold into sl*very by his brothers

because he dressed in a multicolored coat

and painted his eyes with kohl.

Just like the men did in ancient Egypt.

Look at this.

This stuff is eyeliner.

I know have my first ancient cosmetic product

to give to my wife.

An all natural version of kohl made out of almonds.

But according to Suri, in ancient times

the real secret to beauty

started with preserving the skin's natural radiance.

And even today, the best way to do that is by rolling around

in the special mud that's found in the Dead Sea in Israel.

So I'm going to the Dead Sea

to find out why the mud there

is supposed to make people beautiful.

Now, why are you guys all muddied up?

- We ran out of sunscreen.

(laughing)

- [Woman] Good for the skin.

- [Simcha] So how long are you gonna keep it on?

- We're drying.

- [Simcha] Now have you done this before?

- Maybe four times.

- Really?

Are you really like years old?

(laughing) (upbeat music)

The reason why the Dead Sea mud

is supposed to be so good for you

is that it's jampacked with salts and minerals

that nourish the skin.

In fact, when the famous Cleopatra found out

about the beautifying benefits of the Dead Sea,

she almost started a w*r over it with Herod the Great.

(b*mb exploding)

- Don't you find it frightening?

- No!

♪ He's a total man ♪

♪ He's a total man ♪

- I'm on a quest to uncover the ancient world's

most coveted beauty secrets,

by creating my own ancient cosmetic products

to give to my wife.

But looking back in ancient times,

beauty wasn't just about decorating your face,

it was about keeping the skin looking young and healthy.

And in ancient times, one of the best ways to do that

was by smushing your face with the mud that's found

in the Dead Sea in Israel

Even the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus,

back in the st century C.E

recorded that the Dead Sea was known

for its beauty secrets.

Including the fruit of the persimmon trees

which were used to make perfume

in ancient times.

In fact when the famous Cleopatra found out

about the beautifying benefits

of the Dead Sea, she almost started a w*r over it

with Herod the Great.

Cleopatra eventually opened up the ancient world's

first beauty factory on the shores of the Dead Sea,

combining local mud with secret ingredients.

But to find out if the Dead Sea mud

was actually worth Cleopatra's trouble,

I'm meeting with the experts

from the Ahava Mud Laboratory,

where they have taken the science of beautifying mud

to a whole new level.

Well, this is a real lab.

This is not kidding around.

This is a secret recipe?

- Yeah.

- [Simcha] Who knows the secret?

- Just me. - Just you?

- Yeah. - Oh wow!

I'm very proud of you guys.

Because really, what do you have here?

You only have mud and stones.

There's no way you could have sold stones

to the world, right?

- Right. - So you sold the mud.

(laughing) (gentle music)

Come over here.

The Naked Archeologist goes

where no archeologists are here.

Come over here.

Here at the Ahava Laboratory,

they mix the Dead Sea mud

with their own secret ingredients

and then sell it to the rest of the world.

To find out what those secret ingredients are,

I'm going to try and infiltrate

Ahava's production process,

and I hope that no one catches on.

Look how it's coming over there, see.

They're sealing the mud.

(dramatic music)

My cover gets blown when I can't seem to keep the mud

from spilling out of the packages.

I have to talk to you about the sealing process.

And before I know it,

the experts are showing me out the back door.

But I still want to find out for myself

if the Dead Sea mud really works.

So I've arranged for my own private mud testing.

And after letting it cake onto one side of my face,

I'm anxious to see if it leaves me looking younger

Sorry, which side is different?

- This side, the right side.

- How much younger does the right side look?

on this side? - Yeah.

On the right side you're , and this side maybe .

- years difference? - Yeah.

- Don't just dig into the ground,

smush it on your face.

Smushing mud on your face wasn't the only way

to preserve the skin's natural glow

back in ancient times.

You could also rub your face with balms

made out of all natural ingredients.

- It leaves a soft, invisible film

that protects your skin from more germs for hours.

- [Simcha] Since I want some kind of skin protection

to add to the cosmetics I'm going to give my wife,

I'm going back to Suri to teach me

how to make balm out of beeswax.

(bees buzzing)

We start out by mixing dried roses and myrtle

with the extra virgin olive oil I picked up in the market.

- Okay, we're gonna melt the beeswax now

in a double boiler.

We're gonna put in some water in this pot.

Here's the beeswax.

- Can I? - Sure, you may...

No, no!

- No? - Use water on the bottom

and use another pan.

- Oh, I see, go over to the fire.

- We're gonna take it over to the fire

and we're gonna melt the beeswax

- Look at that, it's melting. - There you go.

Okay, now let's mix this quickly.

- [Simcha] Oh this is hardening fast.

- [Suri] It's hardening very, very quickly.

- [Simcha] As the beeswax and the scented oil cool,

they harden together and become a kind of wax

that naturally protects the skin.

Look at that.

I've just learned how to make balm

out of all natural ingredients.

So I now have my second ancient beauty product

to give my wife.

But then in ancient times,

beauty wasn't just about looking good,

it was about smelling good too.

Even back in Biblical times,

no one wanted to hang around someone

who smelled like a dirty ass.

(donkey braying)

If I'm going to complete my line of ancient cosmetics,

I'm going to have to learn the ancient art

of perfume-making.

♪ He's a total man ♪

♪ He's a total man ♪

(upbeat music)

- [Simcha] I'm trying to complete my own line

of ancient cosmetics to give to my beautiful wife.

So far, I have a healthy version of ancient kohl

and a skin balm that's made out of honeycomb.

But no line of beauty products can be complete

without my own perfume.

(sniffing)

So I'm getting Suri to help me learn

how to make a perfume out of the same ingredients

the ancients would have used to make theirs.

- Let's make some perfume, yeah.

- Okay.

What is that?

- That is balsam.

- This is amazing.

- This is myrrh and frankincense.

- What is it? - It's a resin.

These are tree resins.

(upbeat music)

- [Simcha] Contrary to popular belief,

frankincense and myrrh aren't spices.

They're actually the dried sap resins of trees,

and in the ancient world, they were the scents of choice.

The Bible illustrates this fact in the book of Esther.

In it, Esther is a Jewish girl

in the harem of the Persian king Ahasuerus.

But back then, concubines weren't allowed

to actually meet the king

until they were marinated for six months

in skin treatments using perfumed oils

made from frankincense and myrrh.

And it must have worked for Esther,

because when the king finally did meet her

he fell in love with her

and made her the Jewish Queen of Persia.

And it's this kind of perfume

that Suri is teaching me how to make.

Are we gonna make perfume?

- We're gonna crush these things

and put them in olive oil.

- First, I have to crush up the frankincense and myrrh.

♪ I'm making perfume for my babe ♪

♪ Yu, pi, du, pi, du, pi, li, di, de ♪

And then stir them together with olive oil

over an open flame.

And after straining it all,

I have my own version of perfume that smells amazing.

All my insides are opening up.

(upbeat music) Perfume!

Made by yours truly.

Since I'm planning to give this perfume to my wife,

I need to find something a little classier to put it in.

So I'm off to meet with Robert Deutsch.

He's an antiquities dealer

who has a fabulous collection

of ancient perfume bottles.

I'm going to try and talk him into letting me borrow one.

- Here we have oil jar gourds

from the Iron Age period,

made of black and gray terracotta.

They're from the times of the kings of Israel.

- Terracotta means what?

- Clay, fired clay.

- We're talking about something that's , years old.

You can still see the earth.

- This is like juglet because it's pointed at the bottom.

That why is from the Iron Age too

which is - B.C from the time of King David.

- It's truly, truly amazing.

The book of Kings tells the story of King David.

He grew up as a shepherd boy.

He defeated Goliath in battle,

and then he fell in love with the beautiful Bathsheba

when he saw her bathing on a nearby roof.

And so I'm sold.

This jug is the perfect container

for the perfume I made for my wife.

The oil jar that may have been used

to anoint King David,

or maybe to pour into Bathsheba's bath on the roof

when King David went absolutely gaga over her.

(upbeat music) My buddy, Robert, wasn't about

to let me walk out of there

with a perfume bottle for free,

but I did manage to get him to cut me a deal.

I'm looking at the price.

Not bad for something this old.

- For you, half price.

(laughing)

- So far, it's been a good day.

Not only have I found artifacts

that show me how ancients made themselves beautiful,

but I've also made my own cosmetics,

including a skin balm, kohl and perfume.

And all in accordance with ancient Rabbinic law.

So now, there's only one thing left to do.

Take it all home to my wife, Nicole.

Make-up expert, Dorit Cohen,

has come along for the ride,

so that she can apply my ancient makeup products

exactly the same way a woman would have worn them

back in ancient times.

Honey, I'm home.

Dorit starts with balm, and then paints my wife's eyes

with my all natural kohl.

- Now we're gonna move to the ochre.

I'm gonna use it for the cheekbones

and then I'm gonna take a little bit oil from your stuff

and I'm gonna make it for the lipstick.

- Lipstick? - Yeah.

- Whoa!

And after a few final touch ups,

we're finally ready for the big reveal.

(gentle music)

(laughs) Hey, come on in.

Well, how does mommy look?

- Ancient.

- She looks ancient?

(laughing)

Nicole's ancient make over is such a success

that it's a shame not to share it.

So maybe, I should market my brand

of all natural cosmetics to the rest of the world.

Naked Make-up.

Go on!

Smush it on your face.

♪ He's a total man ♪

♪ From a total land ♪

♪ He makes no apologies ♪

♪ For his archeology ♪

♪ He's a total man ♪

♪ From a total land ♪

♪ No apologies for his archeology ♪