Dreads

Dreadlocks, also locs, dreads, or in Sanskrit, Jata, are ropelike strands of hair formed by or braiding hair. Dreadlocks can also be formed through a technique called "twist and rip", as well as backcombing and rolling. While leaving hair to its own devices – foregoing brushing, combing or cutting the hair, also known as the "neglect" technique and "free forming" – will generally result in tangles and mats, the formation of evenly sized dreadlocks takes planning and maintenance.

Various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing, braiding, rolling and the crochet hook method. All of these methods require ongoing work to be applied to the dread before it becomes neat and tight or mature. However, if the crochet hook method is applied by a skilled hand throughout the length of the dread, then the resulting dreadlocks are instantly tight and will not need any rolling.

Some of the earliest depictions of dreadlocks date back as far as 3600 years to the Minoan Civilization, one of Europe's earliest civilizations, centred in Crete (now part of Greece).Frescoes discovered on the Aegean island of Thera (modern Santorini, Greece) depict individuals with braided hair styled in long dreadlocks.

In ancient Egypt, examples of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles and wigs have appeared on bas-reliefs, statuary and other artifacts. Mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with locked wigs have also been recovered from archaeological sites.

During the Bronze Age and Iron Age, many peoples in the Near East, Asia Minor, Caucasus, East Mediterranean and North Africa such as the Sumerians, Elamites, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites, Amorites, Mitanni, Hattians, Hurrians, Arameans, Eblaites, Israelites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Medes, Parthians, Chaldeans, Armenians, Georgians, Cilicians and Canaanites/Phoenicians/Carthaginians are depicted in art with braided or plaited hair and beards.

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Wikipedia