Fashion And Clothing In Ancient Egypt

A summary of the various kinds of attire worn by the Egyptians only, could fill a huge volume. Ancient Egyptians were exceptionally interested in fashion and their appearance. This is seen in tomb scenes where styles and costumes of rich were copied by the poor classes. Fashion changed very little for both men and women, or for the rich or poor, in Ancient Egypt. The fabric used commonly for making clothes was linen which proved to be apt for this hot climate. During winter, the upper and middle classes wore a cloak which extended from the neck to ankle and could be wrapped and clasped in front. Illustrations of such cloaks are seen from Archaic to Ptolemaic times. Since linen was very hard to dye, clothes were often off-white; and thus beaded

Not modesty but passion for personal adornments pushed them indulge in multiple size and number of garments. Being naked never disturbed them. Boys even went naked to school. Both men & women worked naked in fields, at homes while doing their daily chores; women of the upper classes were not ashamed to leave their necks and breasts uncovered before the public gaze.

The ancient garment for men, from slave to pharaoh, was kilt, a rectangular apron wrapped loosely in varied length around the hips. A simple kilt was tied from right to left so that the skirt’s edge would come in front. Some fancier and more luxurious kilts had decorative pleated panels, bias-cut or fringed edges, and were made of finer quality of linen. Later, wearing longer and wider kilt or one with inverted box pleat became fashionable. Though fashion changed over time, but a simple kilt remained the standard costume for lower

Men occupied themselves in sports, such as hunting & fishing, archery, wrestling & boxing and stick fencing. Long races demonstrating physical prowess were also organized. Also, both, men and women enjoyed swimming. Board games were also popular, and the games boards were made of wood or stone or clay, or simply by drawing on the ground. Moves were determined by sticks or animal anklebones, and later by cubic dice, marked similarly as today. One of the commonest games Senet was played on a board of 30 squares (3 rows x 10). It was played by two opponents. Another game played by several players was called Mehen; it had a round board resembling a coiled snake. The playing pieces were moved from the tail to the goal on the snake’s