Given the warm climate of Egypt, the clothing was made of
thin materials and with an easy construction. The raw material was flax, a
plant which was grown along the Nile. Once harvested, the flax was prepared and
woven into linen. In colder periods they used woolen coats and sometimes
leather but these materials were considered impure. Along time, their garments
were always simple in their construction and cut. The style changed very little
in those almost 3000 years. As time passed the major changes occurred only in
the quantity of the material used. As the Empire took control, the amount of
material used, grow ample.
The clothes had
an important social role. The Cast System defined the costumes of the various
social groups. Slaves and children were
generally naked; the commoner class wore loin clothes. The kalasiris, a kind of
tunic, was worn by every social class above slaves. Basically it is a large
piece of fabric made from a rectangle of sheer linen and held up by a girdle or
shoulder straps. This varied in length along time. In the Old Kingdom they were
short to the knees.
Later, in the Middle Kingdom kalasiris gained in length,
until it reached calf for men and the ankles for women. The shendyt, a kind of
skirt worn around the waist, typically extending to above the knees, didn’t
grow in length. It was a garment, which allowed freedom of movement. Shendyts
are depicted on pharaohs, deities, and commoners in a variety of situations in
various Egyptian artworks.
Rich women wore colored shoulder straps, sometimes studded
with precious stones, and even decorative collars, those, who could afford it.
Most of the time women’s breasts were covered, but now and then, hanging out
was the fashion. The clothes usually were secured by a belt.
Upper class Egyptians frequently wore clothes made from
thin, transparent linen. The degree of transparency indicated the wealth and
status of the wearer. The same was standing for the amount of colored linen and
gemstones used.
The Pharaoh’s royal garment, the royal apron, was most
expensive and elegant look. The material was transparent; it came in one piece
and with a belt decorated heavily with expensive rocks.
Jewelry was worn
by women in every social class in form of ear studs, rings and necklaces. The
pectoral was a trapezoidal piece of metal, made mostly of gold and plated with
gemstones, worn around the neck by nobility. The fillet was wrapped around the
head to hold the hair for both sexes.
The pharaoh had some reserved jewelry as the false beard
named postiche and the crown. Representing the Lower Egypt was the Red Crown
and for the Upper Egypt it was the White Crown.
It was a common tradition amongst Egyptian people to shave
their heads. Wigs were an important
thing in fashion, worn by both sexes made from wool, vegetable fibers or human
hair, depending on the social status of the wearer. Usually they were made
straight. They had an important practical function: in the hot climate it could
be taken out for cooling, unlike the real hair and also protected from the heat
of the sun. Te wealthier one was the more elaborated the wig it was. They
adorned the wigs using ribbons, flowers and gemstones.
When actual hair was in fashion women had a bit longer style
than men, so they had one more support to braid with jewelry.
Both sexes wore makeup.
They believed that cosmetics had magical power. As the eye of Horus was a
powerful symbol in their religion, people wore green eye paints along the known
black, to ward off evil spirits. The green paint was made of malachite. The
famous black eyeliner was called kohl. It was a black powder, traditionally
made by grinding galena and other ingredients. Actually it was used in South
Asia, Middle East and across many other parts of Africa also. In the first
period it was used only by queens and noble woman in Egypt as protection
against diseases of the eye. It was providing color for the eyelashes, eyelids
and eyebrows.
Egyptians used to paint their hand, nail and even their hair
with henna.
As footwear they
used sandals made of leather, papyrus or palm leaves. Most of the time people
walked barefoot and only carried them to have it in case they needed to protect
their feet. Only the pharaoh had his sandals always on and everyone in the same
room with him had to take them off. It was the highest honor, when the pharaoh
gave someone the right to keep his sandals on in his presence.
This article was corrected by Mathe Klara. I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for weekly look and like us on FB!
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