Costumes for an Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Persian
Over the centuries humanity has conceived an extremely diverse array of ways to clothe our bodies. People have seen fit to wear everything from a single string of beads to several heavy layers of hammered iron and chainmail. The societies around the ancient Fertile Crescent were no less creative and though few physical examples of their attire remain today, historical records and rediscovered artist depictions tell us that the people of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia had a variety apparel options.
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Ancient Egypt
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Many Ancient Egyptians had similar shoulder length hair cuts, regardless of gender. Egyptian people usually wore clothing fashioned out of white linen, though the wealthy minority could afford dye and other types of cloth like silk. Cloth was sewn into a simple long T-shirt called a tunic. Men's tunics stopped at the knees and women's tunics stopped at the ankle. Men who made their living working in the fields often wrapped a single piece of long fabric around their waist several times to form a skirt instead of a tunic. Few people wore footwear but those who did wore sandals made of straw or leather. Men and women both known to wear eyeliner and eye shadow.
Mesopotamia
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Most remaining physical examples of Mesopotamian costume are decorative pieces made from metal. The very earliest of the Mesopotamian people used animal skins, loincloths, and simple waist strings to clothe themselves. They soon learned to pound wool and goat hair and weave fabric, and the idea of wraparound skirt with a thick belt was conceived. The skirts were decorated with beadwork, embroidery, pieces of fabric cut in shapes, and fringe. Linen was too expensive for the majority of people and silk was not introduced to this region until much later so they often used wool to make everything from cloaks to shoes.
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Persia
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The Mongolian influence caused Persian fashsion to begin to include rounded headwear. Persians introduced the idea of trousers to the region. These trousers were similar for both genders, but varied by class status. Most pieces of clothing were made of linen, silk, and cotton that was dyed and decorated with beads, pleating, and embroidery. They also had long shirts that opened in the front and were synched in around the waist with a leather belt. These shirts also had long pleaded sleeves that drew in around the wrist. As the society became wealthier they began to paint their clothing with intricate designs and embroider with more vibrant colors and add embellishment with gold beading. The belt eventually evolved from simple leather to a long sash which was tied tight low on the waist.
Coming Together
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Following the history of these three societies it is possible to see how they all influenced one another as many types of clothing were common to all three. Invasions, wars and trade during this period in human history allowed style to transfer from region to region and evolve to fit each culture.
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