She is one of the most significant women in the Bible.
But what did Mary Magdalene really look like?
In Western art and film – such as the 2018 film ‘Mary Magdalene’, starring Rooney Mara – she is depicted as young and beautiful, wearing clothes that show off her shapely figure.
But in art of the East, Mary is harder spot, since she looks like other women – heavily veiled.
Now, Professor Joan Taylor, Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King’s College London, has revealed what Mary Magdalene looked like as a historical woman.
According to the expert, Mary was an ‘everywoman’, who was rather ‘indistinguishable’.
Writing in her book, Dress in Mediterranean Antiquity, Professor Taylor said: ‘There is nothing distinctive about her.’
Here’s exactly what Mary Magdalene looked like – and why the 2018 film got it so wrong.
She is one of the most significant women in the Bible. But what did Mary Magdalene really look like? Pictured: an AI depiction of Mary Magdalene
In Western art and film – such as the 2018 film ‘Mary Magdalene’, starring Rooney Mara (pictured) – she is depicted as young and beautiful, wearing clothes that show off her shapely figure
Face and skin tone
Mary would have been a woman of eastern Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, Professor Taylor explained to the Daily Mail.
This means she likely had olive–brown skin, and dark features.
In 2017, scientists from the University of Versailes created a facial reconstruction of Mary Magdalene, based on her supposed relics – a dry skull and a lock of hair – found in Provence.
Their reconstruction shows a pretty woman with a pointed nose, high cheekbones, and a round face, wearing a white scarf on her head.
However, it’s important to note that the remains are yet to be confirmed as belonging to Mary Magadalene.
Speaking to National Geographic, Philippe Charlier, who performed the reconstruction, said: ‘We are absolutely not sure that this is the true skull of Mary Magdalene. But it was very important to get it out of anonymity.’
Height
In 2017, scientists from the University of Versailes created a facial reconstruction of Mary Magdalene, based on her supposed relics – a dry skull and a lock of hair – found in Provence. Their reconstruction shows a pretty woman with a pointed nose, high cheekbones, and a round face, wearing a white scarf on her head
According to Professor Taylor, Mary was probably much shorter than most women today.
Writing in her book, she explained: ‘The average height for a woman was 147 cm, or 4 feet 8 inches, with the average for men being 166 cm, or 5 feet 5 inches.’
Age
Unfortunately, Mary’s age remains a complete mystery – with no mentions of it whatsover in the bible.
‘We are not told anything about Mary Magdalene’s age, and there is absolutely nothing in our texts that would require us to imagine Mary as young, or as beautiful, though we may choose to do so,’ Professor Taylor said.
However it’s unlikely that she was a child, according to the expert.
She added: ‘Since Luke 8.1–3 indicates that she was a woman with resources that could be used for supporting Jesus’s work, we should think not think of her as a minor.’
Hairstyle
Mary’s hair was long and dark, although she probably wore it braided and bound up. Pictured: hair found in Provence that may have belonged to Mary Magdalene
‘Plaiting/braiding is one of the most convenient ways of dealing with long hair, as it makes it particularly easy to secure with a net and pins,’ Professor Taylor said. Pictured: AI image of Mary Magdalene
Mary’s hair was long and dark, although she probably wore it braided and bound up.
‘Plaiting/braiding is one of the most convenient ways of dealing with long hair, as it makes it particularly easy to secure with a net and pins,’ Professor Taylor said.
‘A Judaean or Nabataean woman may have worn a bun–wrapper scarf since small coloured cloths have been found on either side of the Dead Sea.’
Clothes
Mary probably wore a long, brightly coloured tunic, according to Professor Taylor.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: ‘There are pieces of textiles found in caves and sites around the Dead Sea that preserve clothing from around Mary’s time.
‘We know then that she would have worn a long tunic tied under the bustline and a mantle, probably brightly coloured (red, green, yellow).
‘She would likely have worn a headscarf and additionally covered her head with a mantle when needing to be more modest’.
In the 2018 film, Mary Magdalene, Mary (played by Rooney Mara) is depicted wearing tight–fitting beige clothes
Shoes
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Mary wore sandals on her feet.
‘Sandals were invariably made according to the soleae type, with the sole composed of thick leather and the upper parts much like thongs but with a heel strap, and they were tightened at the toe for a close fit,’ Professor Taylor explained.
Accessories and jewellery
Wealthy women at the time would have worn brooches, earrings and other jewellery.
However, Mary probably didn’t have any accessories, according to Professor Taylor.
Writing in her book, she explained: ‘It is unlikely that a disciple of Jesus like Mary would have worn much, given the early Christian discourse against jewellery.
‘Overall, we need to see Mary and the other women disciples as dressing without much regard to looking well turned out, especially given that they were on the road with Jesus: their appearance would have been as poor women.’
