Dress in Ancient Egypt

The intent in this paper is to examine costume and styles of dress in ancient Egypt. The focus is on the dynastic era in Egyptian history from about 3100 B.C.E. to approximately 500 B.C.E. Egypt became a recognizable country during this time period, centered on the Nile River Valley.

The history of people in Egypt extends much further back than 3100 B.C.E., however, The Paleolithic Age in Egypt was actually a fruitful one, with a number of predynastic peoples dwelling in the Nile River Valley by about 5500 B.C.E. These people engaged in some agriculture, along with herding, and there is some evidence that they began to be involved in weaving, which was to become a very important element in the economy of dynastic Egypt. At that time, according to Hoffman (1979), the woven product was flax.

In looking at the pictures included in Hoffman's books, it is apparent that the beadwork and clothing of the predynastic people closely resembles that of the dynastic Egyptians. For example, a sample of jewelry from the Tomb of Djer at Abydos included the characteristic beadwork of the later period (see Figure 1). A later picture of the Protodynastic and Archaic iconography included illustrations of dress that resembles that worn by the men of the dynastic period, including loin cloths and tunics.

The early dynastic period is established as between approximately 3050 and 2715 B.C.E. It was at this time that upper and lowe

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he royal family. However, the loin cloth for royal males was not made of linen, but of gold thread, and it had a different decorative arrangement of the folds in front (See Figure 2). This loin cloth remained, but new layers were added to the male attire during approximately 2000 B.C.E. At that point, the loin cloth was covered with another longer loin cloth and by one or more layers of skirts. The loin cloth retained the same basic shape, except for the addition of a fashion in which the loin cloth was designed to resemble a pyramid. This fashion occurred during the fourth and fifth dynasties, although it was retained much longer in royal fashions. Essentially, the loin cloth was widened, stiffened and starched, and developed to look like a pyramid and even to have pyramid designs upon it (See Figure 2). For women, the earliest fashions were also simple in design. Women wore dresses which resembled long tunics. These dresses were long, extending to the ankles, and they were secured by shoulder straps, either one or two. In some instances, women wore transparent tunics over beaded hipbelts (See Figure 2). Slaves sometimes wore nothing but beaded hipbelts and other jewelry (See Figure 3). Women's fashions did not change

Category: History - D