Here's a breakdown:
* Ancient Egypt (around 3000 BC): This is where some of the earliest evidence of manicures has been found. Egyptians used henna to stain their nails, and the color indicated social status. Higher classes used dark reds, while lower classes wore paler shades.
* Ancient China (around 3000 BC): Nail coloring and care were also practiced in China around the same time. They used a mixture of beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes, and gum arabic to stain their nails. The Ming Dynasty was known for long, elaborate nail extensions made of gold or silver.
* Babylonia (around 3200 BC): Excavations have uncovered golden manicure sets, showing that nail care was a practice among the wealthy.
So, while it's hard to say definitively "when," we can say that manicure-like practices were present as early as around 3000 BC in ancient Egypt and China.