About Egyptian Costumes
Ancient Egyptian clothing is often mimicked by modern people in the form of Halloween costumes or party costumes. Egyptians were by far the most innovative and apparently fashionable dressers of their time. The Egyptian people were, as a whole, very particular about their look as well as their hygiene. Some of the styles remain in place in today.
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Identification
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While most people of the ancient Mediterranean wore simple pieces of cloth wrapped around their bodies, Egyptians wore tunics sewed to fit them. Men wore tunics that reached their knees, which resembled long T-shirts. Women's tunics reached their ankles and often featured one or two shoulder straps. They didn't wear head covers. Occasionally they wore leather, palm fiber, or reed sandals, but many went barefoot. Those who had sandals often carried them and only wore them when necessary.
Considerations
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Due to the excessively hot climate in Egypt, working people wore as little as possible. Men who worked outdoors wore more simple attire for working---material around the waist that looked like a short skirt or kilt. Slaves often worked completely naked. Priests, on the other hand, wore leopard robes and washed several times each day. They could not wear anything made from wool or leather, as this was considered unclean. Plus, they had to remove all of their body hair in order to be suitably pure to approach their god.
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Function
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Most Egyptians made their clothes from linen. Linen was made from a plant called flax, which the Egyptian men pulled up by the root (rather than cutting) for use. When the stems were about half-ripe, they were perfect for making linen. If they were too ripe, Egyptians put them aside for making rope or weaving mats. They soaked the stems for several days before separating the fibers and pounding them until they were soft enough to attach to a spindle. Fibers were then twisted until they formed strong threads, which were placed on a loom for weaving the linen. The clothes made from linen were almost always white, and required frequent washing. After washing their clothes in a river or canal, they often needed to be repleated, which they accomplished by placing wet clothes on a special grooved board until they were dry.
Features
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Egyptians, particularly women, didn't get dressed without having bathed. Wealthy people had tiled bathing areas. Most women used scented oils to soften their skin after bathing, and wore a piece of linen on their head to help dry the hair. Men and women alike were known to tweeze stray hairs and shave their bodies, similarly to the way we do today. Men and women wore wigs daily, usually made from human hair or even wool. For special occasions, they wore curled wigs.
Misconceptions
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There are a couple of major misconceptions regarding Egyptian costumes. First, most people wore jewelry, rich and poor alike. Most everyone wore earrings (referred to as ear studs), rings and necklaces. Wealthy people wore jewelry made of gold while their poorer counterparts wore jewelry made from colorful glass beads or semi-precious stones like turquoise or lapis lazuli. And while most realize that the Egyptians were pioneers in wearing facial makeup, many don't know that men and women alike wore it. Especially for special occasions, men and women would line their eyes, darken their eyebrows and paint their eyelids. They wore blush called ochre on their cheeks, and used henna to dye their nails and lips. Women would make a small cone from fat and essential oils, which they would wear on their heads at parties. As it melted, the scent would be released.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Image Credit: www.touregypt.net
