Clothing Styles in Ancient Persia

Ancient Persian fashion still influences modern style.

Ancient Persia offers a colorful history often featured in motion pictures. One of the most interesting aspects of those movies are the costumes and clothing. Ancient Persian clothing is just as unique in modern times as it was in 700 BC.

Headgear

Tall fluted hats were worn by men in Ancient Persia. The poet-scholar Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow speculated that the hats were a modified version of the neighboring Assyrian feathered headdress.

Robes

Persians wore loose fitting robes. Unlike modern robes, there was no opening in the front. Accordingly they had to pull the robe over the head as if they were putting a long shirt on. The robes had long flowing sleeves that allowed full movement of the arms. The only part of the robe that was tight was the waist which was cinched with a girdle or belt.

Pants

The concept of pants was spread by the Persian empire to many parts of the world, including Europe. Persian pants were baggy and looked like pajama bottoms. When the Ancient Greeks saw Persian men wearing pants for the first time, the Greeks thought of them as effeminate and mocked the Persians. It probably didn't help that pants were worn by both ancient Persian men and women.

References

• "Ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian Costumes"; Mary G. Houston and Florence M. Hornblower; 1920
• Iranian: The Empire Had No Boundaries
• Encyclopedia Iranica:Clothing ii. In The Median And Achaemenid Periods