Costumes in the Egyptian Era
The Egyptian Era saw a lot of oscillation
politically and subsequently economically. As opposed to what one would think,
there was very little change seen in the way Egyptians dressed. The exclusive
way of draping costumes, heavy usage of linen and similar clothing for both the
sexes remained almost unaltered throughout the Egyptian era. The Egyptians
always dressed with simplicity, despite the luxuries afforded by foreign
conquests.
Textiles
Majority of the costumes worn in that era required
to be draped in a certain manner or other. Hence, materials that could be
draped well around the body were used. Linen was an obvious choice for them.
It’s light, breathable quality was perfectly suited for their hot climate.
Another reason for its popularity was its natural whiteness, a colour
considered as sacred by the Egyptians. Unlike the west, the Egyptian religion
forbade the use of wool. It was only used in the first century on cloaks.
The better part of any Egyptian costume always
remained while, with little colour only used on the girle. The girle’s were
in gold or any other bright colour. A characteristic of an Egyptian costume was
that the lower part of the body was always well- covered, leaving the upper
part of the body bare. Nudity was considered as a sign of lowly conditions,
except for children. In spite of that, one may find a few Egyptian statuary in
the nude. These statues belonged to families of higher rank. They were made in
the nude so that wouldn’t fade away in the typical way Egyptian statues were
made.
The art of weaving, is said to be have perfected in
the land of Egypt. The Egyptians credit their inputs from the Asians for having
perfected the art. People from foreign land, especially Syrians would come here
to pursue weaving professionally.
Women’s
Costume
For over a thousand years, very few elements of the
women’s clothing changed. Apart from a few modifications in one or two details
almost everything in their clothing remained unchanged.
A gown made up of two components: a short, tight
bodice along with close fitting sleeves and a wide skirt was very commonly worn
by women during the Old and the Middle kingdom.
The New Kingdom found the rise of the tunic gown, also known as the calasiris. Although made out of linen,
it was worn as outerwear. This simple gown had seamed edges with slits for
head, arms and a narrow cord served as a girdle.
Contrary to what a superficial examination might suggest, there has a huge
variety in which the Egyptian women draped their clothes. Women also used
shawls to protect themselves from the cool air and the heat of the sun.
Men’s
Costume
A few elements of the Egyptian costume like the
gown, tunic and wig were common for both the sexes. The loincloth or the shenti was a piece of clothing only
reserved for the Egyptian men. Workers would wear the shenti. To hold it in place, a girdle as wide as the hand was used.
A cloak made out of linen and wool swathed around the waist like a skirt was in
fact almost double of the shenti, but
only much longer. It was only worn towards the end of the Egyptian era.
Headdresses
and Ornaments
Women would generally dress their hair in coils,
plaits or use huge knobs of embossed gold to decorate them. Men on the other
hand would have their heads shaved. Women would show their hair too when they
wore wigs. Men generally would wear wigs only for religious feasts and
ceremonies.
The head dress worn by men would be a square piece
of clothing with stripes which would be worn loosely covering the temple of the
head, falling at both the ends of the ear. For the Pharoah and the gods, it
would be knotted in a particular way, and given the name klaft.
Earrings and pendants worn by them were often
enormous and heavy. Commoners would have their necklaces made out of glass in
sacramental colours: lapis blue, turquoise, jasper red and yellow. The women of
higher class would wear jewellery made out of precious stone.
Reference
Boucher, F. and Deslandres, Y. (1996) A History of Costume in the West. .
Inline Citations: (Boucher and Deslandres, 1996)
