Egyptian clothing

Some Egyptian clothing was common to both sexes, the tunic and the robe. Men wore a loincloth, the shenti--a scarf wrapped around the kidneys and held by a belt. Then, around 1420 BC, a light tunic or blouse with sleeves, as well as a pleated petticoat.

Female clothes stayed the same and unchanged throughout millennia, and only changed slightly over the years. Draped clothing, with many different varieties of drapery, sometimes gave the impression of completely different clothing. It was made of "haïk", a very fine muslin.Royal Clothing is particularly well documented, as well as the clothing and crowns of the Pharaohs.

The pardalide, made of a leopard skin, is traditionally attributed to priestly clothing.

Elements of Egyptian Clothing

In Ancient Egypt, linen was by far the most common textile. Wool was known, but considered impure. Animal fibres that were the object of taboos were used sparsely for overcoats and forbidden in temples and sanctuaries. Only the wealthy were so clothed.

Peasants, workers, and other people of modest condition wore nothing but a loincloth, but the shenti was worn by people of all walks of life.

Footwear was the same for both sexes. It consisted of sandals of leatherwork, or, for the priestly class, papyrus.

The most common headdress was the klaft, a striped cloth worn by men.

Adornment

Wigs, common to both sexes, were the headdress of the wealthier people. Made from real human and horse hair, they had ornaments incorporated into them. In the royal court, women sometimes wore little cuplets filled with perfume. Heads were shaved; Egyptians were the only ancient people to systematically practice hair removal. To them, this represented humanity, by opposition to animality, which was symbolized by hair. Jewelry was heavy and rather voluminous, which could denote an Asian influence. Bracelets were also heavy. They were made of simple glass in working classes. Upper classes used all sorts of precious stones, including lapis-lazuli, cornaline, and turquoise.

One creation that was specific to Ancient Egypt was the gorgerine, an assembly of metal discs worn on the chest, either over bare skin or over a shirt, and attached in the back.

Cosmetics

Embalming allowed the development of cosmetics and perfumes. The perfumes of Egypt were the most numerous, but also the most sought and the costliest of Antiquity, which used them extensively. The Egyptians were the Ancient people that used makeup the most. Nails and hands were painted with henna. Tattoos were used, but only by lower-class peoples.

Kohl, which was used to mark eyes with black, was obtained from galena. Eye shadow was made from crushed malachite. Red that was applied to lips came from ochre. These products were mixed with animal fat to make them compact and to preserve them.

ee also

*Clothing in the ancient world
*Clothing in ancient Rome