COSTUMES AND CLOTHING

The Ancient Egyptians

Basic male clothing for the Old Kingdom, 2686-2181 BC, was a woven loincloth wrapped around the hips and held at the waist by a belt, called a girdle. A cape was sometimes worn on the shoulders.

By the time of the Middle Kingdom, 2133-1786 BC, a long garment called a kalasiris developed. For men it was a skirt worn at the waist; for women it was worn under or over the breast and sometimes held with a strap, or was a full-length garment that sometimes had sleeves. The exposure of the female breasts was relatively common among the ancient Egyptians as it was with Cretan women of the Minoan civilization.

The kalasiris and the cape became the standard dress for all ancient Egyptians. The usual fabric was natural off-white linen, some of which was so finely woven that it was transparent. The Egyptian method of weaving gold thread into fabric is still an unknown art.

The laboring classes wore garments shorter for convenience at work. Nobles, priests, and royalty wore the longer version elaborately pleated and draped. Much of the elaboration and color of the costumes came from belts, collars, and headdresses. Wide collars and other adornments were of gold and semi-precious stones or glass. Black wigs and Kohl, a dark pigment, were used by both men and women to outline the eyes. Sandals were worn on the feet.

The Minoans

Although the loincloth of the Minoan men of Crete was similar to that of the Ancient Egyptians, women's fashions were unique. They wore tiered and gathered bell-shaped skirts and either fitted bodices or brief jackets that showed their breasts. The hair of both men and women was worn long.

The Mesopotamians

The Sumerians are depicted in art as barefoot and wearing skirts of leather. They also wore woolen robes and hats or turbans.

The Hebrews, Assyrians, and Babylonians (circa 2300 BC) all wore a long, sleeved garment not unlike a nightshirt, with cloaks or kalasiris-like overgarments. Unique to Babylonia was a priestly garment made from a long triangle of fabric, wrapped to achieve a diagonal tier of fringed border.

The Assyrians adopted more elaborate clothing that included tasseled robes embroidered with small repeated patterns or rosettes. Men's hair was shoulder length and curled, as were their beards. They wore hats resembling fezzes that were decorated to indicate rank. Women's attire was similar but, instead of hats, they wore headbands made of wool or stonework and gold. The Middle Eastern custom of veiling the faces of women has its origin in an Assyrian law of about 1200 BC. The characteristic costumes of the Ottoman Empire are direct descendants of the styles of the ancient world, as are the classic costumes of the Arabic peoples.

The earliest examples of Phoenician dress are about the same age as the kalasiris in Ancient Egypt. Both sexes wore a large rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the body and tied over one shoulder. This basic shape survived many centuries, but variations were made with a neck hole and a single armhole. The loincloth was also worn, possibly borrowed from the Egyptians. Farther north, more elaborate and more fitted garments, bearing some similarity to the kalasiris, were worn together with capes and aprons wrapped around the waist. Leather was also used.

The Medes and the Persians

The first recorded cold-climate dress in the Mediterranean world came with the invasions of the Medes (612 BC) and the Persians (539 BC). The Persians wore hose or trousers with an open tunic fastened by a belt. The Medes wore long, voluminous robes, with sleeves cut narrower at the top than at the hem. The Persians also introduced to the West the Phrygian cap of felt, often with earflaps. This headgear made its last appearance in the 18th century during the French Revolution, when it was known as the cap of liberty.

Introduction

Classical

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