Egypten 5.16 :: Clothes and jewellery
- Object description
Linen was the most commonly used material in clothes.
The beautifully pleated clothes seen on tomb walls are not always a true reflection of the reality. In everyday life, the women wore loose dresses or tunics while the men wore kilts of linen or leather. Pleated and tight fitting outfits were only worn on special occasions or as a status symbol. The more impractical, the more exclusive.
Most people went barefoot. Those who needed to protect their feet wore sandals made of reeds or papyrus or, if they could afford it, leather. In winter, both men and women wore wool shawls against the cold.
Children were often portrayed naked while, in fact, they probably wore similar looking clothes to those of the adults.
Both men and women wore jewellery in the form of protective charms or for decoration. Different types of stone and faience beads were threaded and made into necklaces and bracelets. They were also braided into the hair and stitched onto dresses and capes.
Beauty and celebrations
Egyptian tomb paintings often depict celebrations; happy occasions when scantily clad musicians and beautifully made up women wearing large wigs were enjoying good food and the scent of lotus blossoms. On their heads were placed cones of scented fat, the fragrance of which gently melted down over their hair and shoulders.
Ancient Egyptians liked to surround themselves with pleasant scents, which they associated with the gods. Scented oils in small stone vessels were important funerary objects.
Both men and women used eye make-up. Black was the most popular colour but green was also used. The black colour was made of galena and the green of malachite. Make-up was not only seen as beautiful but also considered to protect against eye infections. The make-up was kept in small containers and applied using sticks of wood, metal or ivory. The women also coloured their lips and cheeks and many dyed their fingernails and toenails with henna.
Leave a comment
Here you can leave a comment. You have to supply an e-mail, an alias and you have to accept the agreements.