77.8k views
17 votes
What was daily life like for an ancient Egyptian Tailor?

1 Answer

8 votes

Answer:

Link to Egyptian Civilization Menu

Link to Daily Life Menu

Clothing and adornment

The ancient Egyptians were very particular about cleanliness and personal appearance. People who were poorly groomed were considered inferior. Both men and women used cosmetics and wore jewellery. One item of jewellery, the amulet, was believed to protect the owners and give them strength.

Servant wearing a short kilt;

CMC PCD 2001-283-028Flax grown by farmers was woven into fine linen for clothing. Working-class men wore loincloths or short kilts, as well as long shirt-like garments tied with a sash at the waist. Kilts were made from a rectangular piece of linen that was folded around the body and tied at the waist. Wealthy men wore knee-length shirts, loincloths or kilts and adorned themselves with jewellery – a string of beads, armlets and bracelets. Working-class women wore full-length wraparound gowns and close-fitting sheaths. Elite women enhanced their appearance with make-up, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

Both men and women wore sandals made of papyrus. Sandals made of vegetable fibres or leather were a common type of footwear. Nevertheless, men and women, including the wealthy, were frequently portrayed barefoot.

Nobleman

Short kilt, pleated and belted; shoulder-length hair; necklace. Female servant

Simple sheath dress with wide shoulder straps; long hair, unplaited; jewellery. Official

Mid-calf kilt with a large apron that was probably stiffened to maintain its triangular shape; elaborate necklace. Female servant

Simple sheath dress, long unplaited hair. Nobleman

Elaborate pleated garment; jewellery, wig and scented cone; sandals with the extended curled toes typical of the period. Noblewoman

Elaborate gown; jewellery; plaited wig, hair ornaments and scented cone.

Drawings by John Ide

The Royal Image

Clothing

When royalty, gods and goddesses were portrayed in statues, temple carvings and wall paintings, it was the beauty and self-confidence of the subject that was conveyed. Egyptian artistic conventions idealized the proportions of the body. Men are shown with broad shoulders, slim bodies, and muscular arms and legs; and women have small waists, flat stomachs and rounded busts. Both wear elegant clothing and jewellery, and stand tall with their heads held high. Their stately appearance commands the respect of all who gaze upon their portraits.

In the Old Kingdom, goddesses and elite women were portrayed wearing a sheath with broad shoulder straps. In the New Kingdom, they wore sheaths decorated with gold thread and colourful beadwork, and a type of sari; the sheath had only one thin strap. These dresses were made of linen, and decorated with beautifully coloured patterns and beadwork.

By the reign of Amenhotep III (1390-1352 B.C.), women's garments were made of very light see-through linen.

The men wore knee-length shirts, loincloths or kilts made of linen. Leather loincloths were not uncommon, however. Their garments were sometimes decorated with gold thread and colourful beadwork. The priests, viziers and certain officials wore long white robes that had a strap over one shoulder, and sem-priests (one of the ranks in the priesthood) wore leopard skins over their robes.

Hairstyles

The Egyptian elite hired hairdressers and took great care of their hair. Hair was washed and scented, and sometimes lightened with henna. Children had their heads shaved, except for one or two tresses or a plait worn at the side of the head. This was called the sidelock of youth, a style worn by the god Horus when he was an infant.

CMC S97-10758;

PCD 2001-310-018 (left) Women wearing perfumed cones and wigs.

Painting: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum CMC S97-10963

(right) Wig replica.

Royal Ontario Museum

Both men and women sometimes wore hairpieces, but wigs were more common. Wigs were made from human hair and had vegetable-fibre padding on the underside. Arranged into careful plaits and strands, they were often long and heavy. They may have been worn primarily at festive and ceremonial occasions, like in eighteenth-century Europe.

Priests shaved their heads and bodies to affirm their devotion to the deities and to reinforce their cleanliness, a sign of purification.

g fragrance. No examples of the cones have been found.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Eric Hughes
by
5.9k points