Egyptian History Part 3

EGYPTIAN CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

The Ancient Egyptians wore light clothes made from linen. Linen is made from flax- a plant which was grown along the Nile. Once harvested, the flax was soaked in water until soft. The soften flax was then separated into fibers which were beaten before being spun into thread which was then woven into cloth.

The Egyptians making their clothes 

Make-Up- Both Egyptian men and women wore make up. They used black kohl eyeliner to line their eyes and darken their eye lashes and eye brows. They coloured their eye lids with blue or green eye shadow made from powdered minerals. Henna dye was used to colour their lips and nails.

An Egyptian woman applying her make-up

Jewellery- Ancient Egyptians began producing their jewellery from simple natural materials such as plant branches, shells, beads, solid stones or bones arranged in threads of flax or cow hair. To give these stones some intensity Egyptians began painting them with glass substances. Since the time of the first dynasty, ancient Egyptians have been skilled in making jewellery from solid semiprecious stones and different metals such as gold and silver.

                               

Footwear- Ancient Egyptians went barefoot most of the time but wore sandals for special occasions or if their feet were likely to get hurt.

The sandals worn by the poor were made of woven papyrus or palm while those worn by the rich were made of leather.

Ancient Egyptian Sandals

Men clothing- Men generally wore a linen loincloth, or a short knee- length skirt. Some skirts were longer, than others. Over this, they might wear a shirt- like tunic.

Rich Egyptian men (such as pharaohs or priests) were able to afford the best quality linen which was very fine and almost see-through. Priests added a leopard skin draped over one shoulder.

They wore as much jewellery as they could afford and decorated their clothes. They also wore headdresses for special occasions.

A Pharaoh

A Priest

Women clothing- Women’s clothing in Ancient Egypt tended to be more conservative than that of men. Throughout the Old, Middle and New Kingdom, the most frequently used costume for women was the simple sheath dress. A rectangular piece of cloth was folded once and sewn down the edge to make a tube. The dress would extend from a few inches above the ankles to either just above or just below the breasts. Two shoulder straps held the dress up. The dresses worn by rich Egyptian women were made from fine transparent linen. Like the men, rich Egyptian women decorated their clothes and wore jewellery and headdresses.

Ancient Egyptian Children usually went naked.