Makeup secrets of the queen.

• Position: ANCIENT WORLD

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Wearing makeup wasn't only about looking good for a night out on the Nile for Queen Nefertiti and other ancient Egyptians. They believed it had the healing powers of gods like Horus and Ra to ward off illnesses. Now, it turns out, the Egyptians were partly right. Their makeup did provide protection from disease--only it didn't come from the gods, but from the lead in their makeup. French chemists recently tested 52 samples of ancient Egyptian makeup from the Louvre museum in Paris and found that the lead used had antibacterial, properties that helped prevent eye infections common...