History of Fashion Egyptian Costume

History of Fashion

The history of Western fashion is the story of the changing fashions in clothing for men and women in Europe and other countries under influence of the Western world, from the 12th century to the present. The history of fashion design refers to the development of the fashion industry which designs clothing and accessories. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments that he created.

the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices. 

History of Fashion has changed through this pried:

- The Ancient Middle East 3500-600 B.C.
- Crete and Greece c. 2900-300 B.C.
- Etruria and Rome c. 800 B.C.-A.D. 400
- The Early Middle Ages c. 300-1300
- The Late Middle Ages c. 1300-1500
- The Italian Renaissance c. 1400-1600
- The Northern Renaissance c. 1500-1600
- The Seventeenth Century 1600-1700
- The Eighteenth Century 1700-1800
- The Directories Period and the Empire Period 1790-1820
- The Romantic Period 1820-1850
- The Crinoline Period 1850-1869
- The Bustle Period and Nineties 1870-1900
- The Edwardian Period and World War I 1900-1920
- The Twenties, Thirties, and World War II 1920-1947
- The New Look and Beyond 1947-1960
- The Sixties and Seventies: Style Tribes Emerge 1960-1980
- The Eighties and Nineties: Affluence and Information
- The 21st Century: The New Millennium
- Over 500 four-color photographs and illustrations
- Updated text to 2008
- Additional influences from one period or civilization to another, including influences from other cultures.

Egyptian Costume

Walk Like an Egyptian, by chatirygirl, CC, Some rights reserved, via Flickr
A diorama of ancient Egyptians in the Royal Museum of Scotland

As far as the cutting out of ancient Egyptian costume is concerned. The type of the tunic, The type of the robe, The type of the skirt, with or without cape and The type of the shawl or drapery. The varieties which occur in addition to these may be found in military dress and adaptations from the costumes of other countries. All the varieties above referred to are described in detail in this volume.

Ancient Egyptian clothes refers to clothing worn in ancient Egypt from the end of

The Neolithic period (prior to 3100 BC) to the collapse of the Ptolemaic dynasty with the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. Egyptian clothing was filled with a variety of colors. Adorned with precious gems and jewels, the fashions of the Ancient Egyptians were made for not only beauty but also comfort. Egyptian fashion was created to keep cool while in the hot desert.

4.1 Historical background:  Throughout centuries people have been showing great interest in culture and art of Egypt, the ancient nation of the world. 
The history of ancient Egypt is divided into four periods: Old Kingdom (C. 3000-2400 BC), New Kingdom (C. 1580-1090 BC) and Late period (C. 1090-332 AD). The main occupations of ancient Egyptians were farming, cattle-breeding and different handicrafts (pottery, jewellery, weaving, glass production).

The Influence of Ancient Egyptian Art and Culture throughout 

4.2 Egyptian Civilization: The basic element in the lengthy history of Egyptian civilization is geography. The Nile River rises from the lakes of central Africa as the White Nile and from the mountains of Ethiopia as the Blue Nile. The White and Blue Nile meet at Khartoum and flow together northward to the Nile delta, where the 4000 mile course of this river spills into the Mediterranean Sea.

  The basic source of Egyptian history is a list of rulers compiled in c.280 B.C. by Manetho for the Macedonians who ruled Egypt. Manetho divided Egyptian kings into thirty dynasties (a 31st was added later) in the following manner.

NAME	DYNASTY	YEARS
Archaic Period	1-2	3100-2700 B.C.
Old Kingdom	3-6	2700-2200 B.C.
Intermediate Period	7-10	2200-2050 B.C.
Middle Kingdom	11-12	2050-1800 B.C.
Intermediate Period	13-17	1800-1570 B.C.
New Kingdom	18-20	1570-1085 B.C.
Post-Empire	21-31	1085-332 B.C.

4.2.1 Social structure: Egyptian society was structured like a pyramid. At the top were the gods, such as Ra, Osiris, and Isis. Egyptians believed that the gods controlled the universe. Therefore, it was important to keep them happy. They could make the Nile overflow, cause famine, or even bring death.

In the social pyramid of ancient Egypt the pharaoh and those associated with divinity were at the top, and servants and slaves made up the bottom.

4.3 Sources of Evidence: The concept of annihilation of consciousness would not have been considered amongst the Ancient Egyptian people- their belief in the continuation of existence after death was too potent to consider anything else. The following Primary Sources found amongst Ancient Egyptian discoveries display authentic evidence of the belief of the afterlife.

4.3.1  Egyptian art: Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization of ancient Egypt in the lower Nile Valley from about 3000 BC to 30 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic. It was famously conservative, and Egyptian styles changed remarkably little over more than three thousand years.

4.3.2 Egyptian Decorative Motifs: Ancient Egyptian Decorative Motifs had the following patterns: cobra, cow, feather flower, Geometric, Hathor, scarab, sphinx and star. Also they had different kinds of borders. The Lotus Flower was the symbol of sun and creation.

 Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbolism, ranging from the Pharaoh’s regalia (symbolizing his power to maintain order) to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, was omnipresent in Egyptian art.

                          Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art. Color, as well, had extended meaning Blue and green represented the Nile and life; yellow stood for the sun god; and red represented power and vitality. Despite the stilted form caused by a lack of perspective, ancient Egyptian art is often highly realistic.

4.4 Fabric & cloth production: In ancient Egypt, linen was by far the most common textile. It helped people to be comfortable in the subtropical heat. Linen is made from the flax plant by spinning the fibers from the stem of the plant. Spinning, weaving and sewing were very important techniques for all Egyptian societies.

The beginning of the arts of weaving and dyeing are lost in antiquity. Mummy cloths of varying degrees of fitness, still evidencing the dyer's skill, are preserved in many museums.

4.4.1 Textile: The "spliced and twisted" method of linen yarn production was used in dynastic Egypt. Study of surviving textiles indicates that this technique was used in Egypt between c.3500 and c.600 BC.

Ancient Egyptian Clothing

Production: The manufacture of clothes was apparently mostly women's work. It was generally done at home, but there were workshops run by noblemen or other men of means. The first stages of the linen production were performed by men: They reaped the plants and by beating and combing the plants they extracted fibers from them, which could be spun into thread, the first of the stages often performed by women. When the cloth was still woven on horizontal looms, which were often just.

Model of weaving women at a horizontal loom, excerpt  Source: V.Easy

4.4.2 Dyeing: During the New Kingdom the Egyptians came into closer contact with the residents of Canaan and Syria, who were adept at dyeing cloth and appear to have passed on that knowledge to their conquerors. We have no Egyptian account of the process of dyeing.

Textile and Dye Making

4.4.3 Garment: The tools used such as knives and needles changed over the centuries. Blades were made from stone during the Neolithic, then from copper, from bronze during the Middle Kingdom and finally from iron, though flint knives, which had sharper edges than iron ones, continued to be used to an ever decreasing extent until Roman times. Needles were fashioned from wood, bone and metal. The Egyptians succeeded in making eyes in millimeter thick copper needles. Scissors came into general use late in Egypt's history though the principle was known since the second millennium BCE.

The clothing of men and women of several social levels of ancient Egypt are depicted in this tomb mural from the fifteenth century BC

Clothing materials: The Egyptian climate with its hot summers and mild winters favored light clothing made from plant fibers, Wool was used to a lesser extent ^, and seldom by Egyptians proper.  Animal skins, above all leopard skins, were sometimes worn by priests and by pharaohs in their role as first servants of the god. Such outfits were found in Tutankhamen's tomb and were depicted quite frequently on the walls of tombs. At times kings and queens wore decorative ceremonial clothing adorned with feathers.

 pegs rammed into the ground and where the weavers had to crouch on the floor, it was generally women who performed the task. During the New Kingdom vertical looms were invented. These new looms were physically more demanding and were generally operated by men.

Fashion:  The clothes were generally made of linen and kept simple: a short loincloth resembling a kilt for men, a dress with straps for women. These basic garments with minor variations accounting for fashion,  Everyday clothing was mostly undecorated, though pleating was known since the Old Kingdom, when some dresses of upper class

Egyptians were pleated horizontally. In the New Kingdom the pleats were often vertical, but pleating could be quite intricate. A Middle Kingdom piece of clothing displays three different types of pleating: one part is pleated with pleats a few centimetres apart, another with very narrow pleats and a third part is chevron-patterned, with horizontal and vertical pleats crossing each other.

Old Kingdom

Middle Kingdom

New Kingdom

Late Period

Old Kingdom

Middle Kingdom

New Kingdom

Late Period

 4.4.4 Egyptian clothing: Ancient Egyptian clothing consisted of the same basic elements for hundreds of years. Most garments were based on rectangles of flax. The Egyptians had an appealing fashion sense, with an awareness of line and style to enhance female and male beauty. In a land of sometimes scorching heat, where all work was performed manually and with simple tools, the Egyptians made use of their resources and limited technology to create beauty and sophisticated designs that survived them by more that three thousand years.

 The people of ancient Egypt celebrated the beauty of people, textiles, jewelry, artistically applied makeup, elaborately dressed hair -- and skilled artists left images of Egyptians of all occupations and social classes in timeless ancient Egyptian garments.

4.5 Costume Components: It can easily be gathered from the illustrations that the types of costume worn by both sexes were very similar. The high waist-line prevails in feminine dress, while the male costume, if girded, was generally confined about the hips.

4.5.1  Costume Components for Men: about 2130 BC during the Old Kingdom, garments were simple. The men wore wrap around skirts known as the shendyt, which were belted at the waist, men's skirts were short. As the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, 1600 B.C., came, the skirt was worn longer. Then, around 1420 BC, there was a light tunic or blouse with sleeves, as well as a pleated petticoat.

Loincloth: Loincloths were made of linen, triangular in shape, and were meant to be worn under or over garments. Usually, Egyptian laborers worn them as separate garments, wrapping them around their waists like a diaper. To hold these garments in place, one attached strings or a sash to tie it around the waist. Loincloths that have been found were made of leather, in the style of the Middle and New Kingdoms. During the Old Kingdom and the first half of the Middle Kingdom, loincloths were made of cloth (linen).

Apron: Garments for men that were worn to cover the private areas of the body, worn alone, over a skirt, or over a loincloth and under a skirt, were aprons. This article of clothing was usually made of one or more pieces of cloth that was attached to a belt or sash, which was fastened about the waist. During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, aprons were long and narrow and starting from the Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom, aprons were triangular in form.

reproduction papyrus illustrating the side view of a triangular apron or skirt. Middle: front view of a triangular apron, as worn by one of Tutankhamun's guardian statues. Right: side view of one of Tutankhamun's guardian statues.

Wrapped Skirts: Throughout Ancient Egyptian history, the most prominent male garment was the wrapped skirt. Some words given to this garment were schenti, shent, skent, or schent. One can also refer to a wrapped skirt as a kilt to distinguish it from those worn by women. However, using this term might cause confusion because Scotsmen rather than Egyptians wore kilts. Combining all wrapped skirts from all periods of Egyptian history and from all social classes, ones gets a formidable list of skirts of different lengths, widths, and fits.

        

 Long Wrapped Garments: From the earliest dynasties until the Middle Kingdom, men of all classes wore long wrapped garments. During the New Kingdom, men were depicted as wearing long, loose, and flowing garments of creased diaphanous linen. The following pictures are some ways to wrap a garment of this kind around the body (the figure shows a woman, but men folded their garments similarly).

Upper Body Coverings: The following are some examples of what upper body coverings an Ancient Egyptian might have worn:

Animal Skins: According to the ancients, if one wore a skin of a ferocious beast, then its powers would transfer to the wearer. In early representations of men's fashion, some men wore leopard or lion skin that they fastened across their shoulders. In later periods, skins were no longer used as much. Instead, fabric replaced animal skins. The substitution affected only general apparel. Ordinarily, kings and priests wore animal skins, in particular sem priests, whose most characteristic feature his leopard skin covering. Eventually, garments made to resemble animal skins replaced the real ones. These garments were made of cloth with leopard spots painted on them. Like real animal skins, Egyptians wore these garments for ritualistic purposes.

Cape-like Garments: During the Middle and New Kingdoms, cape-like garments were typically made of short fabric that was fastened at center front.

Corselets: Although it is similar in pronunciation, this garment did not function like a corset. Corselets were sleeveless garments, made with or without straps, and most  likely served as a decorative form of armor. In cases where corselets had with straps, they were small and suspended from the shoulders.

Wide Necklaces: Although necklaces are a type of jewelry, they were used like a cape-like ornament that could be worn alone, over a linen gown, over a short cape, or with a corselet. Wide necklaces consisted of concentric circles of precious and/or semi-precious stones, which included lapis lazuli, turquoise, and carnelian.

Straps: Depictions of men, especially of when they were working, show them wearing narrow straps that wrapped around the upper part of the body. The way to wrap straps around the body varied, which could include the following: wrapped diagonally over one shoulder, diagonally across both shoulders to make an "X", wrapped around the waist, or wrapped at various points around the chest.  However bizarre the wearing of straps sounds, doubt not their function, for that ancients used them for a practical reason: to prevent perspiration from running down the body. In other words, straps served the same purpose as sweatbands do in modern times.

Tunics: Ancient Egyptian tunics were a mix between similar articles of clothing worn by the Hyksos and Mesopotamians. According to Herodotus, Egyptians called tunics calamities or kalasiris. This term can also be applied to closely fitting dresses, better known as sheath dresses, which Egyptian women wore. The date of the introduction of tunics in Egyptian fashion is relatively clear: along with other  new elements of dress, the tunic appeared in use during the New Kingdom and was probably due to cross-cultural contacts with other civilizations of the Near East or even due to the invasions of the Hyksos. According to tomb paintings, short and long tunics were made with or without sleeves and were often crafted of diaphanous linen. Furthermore, it is apparent that loincloths or short skirts were worn under tunics and that wrapped skirts could be worn over tunics.

Shawls and Cloaks: Shawls for men were made from square or rectangular pieces of fabric that one wrapped around the upper part of the body, above the waist. Other cloaks, of the longer kind, were  worn as well to ensure warmth. The way one wrapped a shawl or a cloak around one's body varied and was often made to have ends tied together, over the shoulder. During the Old Kingdom, long cloaks were popular; during the Middle Kingdom, short shawls and long cloaks were commonly worn; and during the New Kingdom, one tended to wear knotted and wrap-around cloaks of various styles.

4.5.2  Costume Components for Women: During the Old, Middle and New Kingdom, Ancient Egyptian women often wore simple sheath dresses called kalasiris. Women's clothing in ancient Egypt was more conservative than men's clothing. The dresses were held up by one or two straps and were worn down to the ankle, while the upper edge could be worn above or below the breasts. The length of the dress denoted the social class of the wearer. Beading or feathers were also used as an embellishment on the dress.

Skirts: Most lower class women or women of the laboring class wore skirts. These skirts were fashioned in much the same way as were wrapped skirts that men wore, upper and lower class alike: short or long, pleated or smooth, full or form fitting, or doubled up.

Wrapped Sheath or Dress: The wrapped or sheath dress was the most commonly worn garment for women from all classes. If an Egyptian woman wore straps with the sheath dress, they wore either one or two straps, which came over the shoulder to hold the dress up. Additionally, lengths of cloth with patterns of wear consistent with wraparound dresses have been found and were worn above or below the chest and draped down to the lower calf or the ankle.

Beaded Net Dress: Since dying linen was an improbable way of applying color, the most probable way that Egyptians decorated a sheath dress was to cover it with a beaded net dress. The art of beadwork was highly developed by the New Kingdom; evidence of this has been found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Other forms of ornamentation may have also included the following: painted designs, appliqués, leather, feathers, beadwork, or woven designs.

Long Wrapped Garments: Long wrapped garments were composed of diaphanous material and served as robes that could be pleated and/or draped. Some women's styles covered the chest while others left it exposed.

Women's long wrapped garments resembled somewhat the male version of the same article of clothing, but there were slight differences in the way each draped and arranged these garments. Out of all the garments worn by women, the long wrapped dress was the most complex. One characteristic that supports this is the ways one can wrap the garment around the body.

Tunics: Just like men, women wore loose fitting tunics, the construction of which was most likely influenced by Mesopotamian and Hyksos styles. A New Kingdom fashion, women's short or long tunics could be made with or without sleeves, were constructed from diaphanous linen, could be worn over loincloths or short skirts, and could be worn under wrapped skirts.

V-Neck Dresses: First appearing during the Old Kingdom and continuing onward, v-neck dresses were styles of women's clothing that have been found in quantity, especially in tombs. These simple garments could be made with or without sleeves, pleated or plain. In cases where they were made with sleeves, they were of a more complex design, with a tubular skirt joined to the yoke.

Shawls and Cloaks: Women wore also long cloaks to ensure warmth. The way an Egyptian wrapped a shawl or a cloak around her body varied and securing either to the

 body was often made easier with the addition of loose ends that could be tied together and over the shoulder. Long cloaks were popular during the Old Kingdom, Short shawls and long cloaks were commonly worn during the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom saw Egyptians wearing knotted and wraparound cloaks of various styles.

Sashes: In cases where one needed to hold clothing in place, Egyptian women used a sash like moderns do nowadays. Sashes were often made of rope; plain-woven linen, sometimes with fringes or tassels; elaborately designed with embroidery; or double woven fabrics. Typically, sashes were often the only adornment and color to an Egyptians outfit if she wasn't wearing jewelry.

4.5.3  Costume Components for Men & Women: The history of ancient Egypt is divided into four periods: Old Kingdom (3000-2400 BC), New Kingdom (1580-1090 BC) and Late period (1090-332 AD). The main occupations of ancient Egyptians were farming, cattle-breeding and different handicrafts (pottery, jewellery, weaving, glass production). Egyptian fashion was practical, simple, and, for most of the population, the same kind of outfit worn by a woman was worn by a man. The upper-class women in the Old Kingdom of Egypt  wore longer dresses which covered their breasts, but the women of the lower classes would have worn the same simple kilt as their fathers, husbands, and sons.

Hair and Headdresses: If depictions are anything to go by, then ordinary Egyptians did not wear any headdress as a rule, similar to African peoples further south. The better-off put on wigs - perhaps just on special occasions. These grew to a remarkable size during the New Kingdom. The pharaohs are always represented wearing crowns, but whether this is a pictorial convention or whether they did so in every day life can not be decided. 

Hair: The common thought about Egyptian hairstyles is that their heads were shaved and bewigged. However, this is just a generalization. It is true that most royal Egyptians shaved their heads with men making up a large percentage of the shaven populace. Some Egyptians, especially priests and holy men, were obligated to shave their heads and other places of the body such as legs, arms, underarms, chin, and otherwise. Priests and holy men shaved as a means of being purified and clean; one could not be purified if one was not shaven. Another reason most Egyptians shaved their heads was to prevent the invasion of head lice. 

Wige: Wigs, common to both genders, were worn by wealthy people of society. Made from real human and horse hair, they had ornaments incorporated into them. They were often woven into certain hairstyles and were quite inexpensive. In the royal court, women sometimes wore cuplets filled with perfume. They were worn to also keep out head lice and protected the head when doing dangerous things. 

Head coverings: From the earliest of times in Eastern cultures it has been a sign of respect to cover the head. Ancient head coverings for men came in various sizes and shapes. Ancient Syrians are depicted on Egyptian monuments wearing a cloth with a fillet of rope.

Footwear: Ancient Egyptian footwear, as most of the population and people from all walks of life did not wear footwear often, not even the king. It was only during the New Kingdom that Egyptians wore them, or so the depictions illustrate. Nonetheless, there has been some proof of ancient footwear. For example, during the Old and Middle Kingdoms, men of high rank were typically the ones who wore shoes or sandals, whereas women rarely, if ever, wore them. It was probably only during outings or in battle that men wore footwear.

Jewelry: The Ancient Egyptians cherished their supply of gold--this is most evident in their making of jewelry. In addition to using gold, they used silver, which was a rare find in Egypt because it had to be imported from Asia. The rarety of silver may be the reason the Egyptians were never shown as wearing anything made of silver, though objects made from silver have been found. Besides using gold, silver, and glass, the ancients used also semiprecious and precious stones to decorate their jewelry. This included lapis lazuli, turquoise, feldspar, and carnelian. With these stones, jewelry makers worked them into collars, pectorals, earrings, bracelets, armbands, and hair and head ornaments. Collars: The ancient Egyptians loved to wear a variety of necklaces and collars made from a huge range of materials. Of course, only the wealthy could afford gold, silver or precious stones, but shells, wood and bone were more readily available to those on a budget. The upper classes and the gods are almost always shown wearing a significant quantity of jewellery. 

Neck Ornaments: Three of the most popularly worn neck ornaments were the pectoral, stringed amulets, and plaques with amulets mounted into them. Diadems or Fillets: The ancients fashioned diadems and fillets out of gold or other metals. Like wigs, diadems could be simple or intricate in design. Most examples featured flowers or lotus blossoms and were fashioned out of semiprecious stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, and the like. Prince Sithathoreunet's diadem was fashioned similarly, with the addition of detachable golden feathers that hang on either side of the diadem. 

Armlets, Bracelets, Anklets: The style of  Egyptian jewelry described as bracelets were produced in a variety of different types. Some bracelets were anklets and armlets which might consist of plain gold rings, both solid and hollow, bordered with plaited chain work in imitation of filigree. Earrings: Originally worn by women, men and children wore earrings, too. Children, especially young boys, sported them just until adulthood.

 Belts and Decorated Aprons: Just as collars were very important decorative pieces for clothing, belts and decorated aprons were as well. Worn over plain white linen, such bejeweled items provided perhaps the only color to a garment. Such jewelry was made from leather, fashioned of beads or appliqué, or decorated with woven designs. Rings: Most rings royal Egyptians wore bore their name in a sealed cartouche. These rings were thus called "seal rings" or simply "seals," whose band was typically made out of gold wire. Seal rings were made of many materials including feldspar, carnelian, and lapis lazuli. These rings served to sign or stamp the name of the king onto legal documents.

Cosmetics: Both men and women followed certain styles and fads in their toilette--that is, in decorating their eyes, skin, and lips. Women were the most frequent participants in such cosmetic rituals, but men also fancied perfumes and color around the eyes just as much as their counterparts.

 Bags: Probably the most ancient of all Egyptian crafts is basketry. During the Pre-Dynastic Ear, around 4,000 B.C.E., grain stores and other buildings were formed of clay and then reinforced, for waterproofing purposes, with a layer of matting, a product of basketry. The style of basketry was conservative and practically unchanging for centuries, much like Egyptian dress. In fact, New Kingdom baskets and modern baskets share common features.

4.5.4  Egyptian Costume for Children: Not many Egyptian children wore clothing, especially lower class citizens; it was mostly children from royal families from whom archaeologists have gathered information on children's clothing. For example, noble girls were depicted wearing necklaces, armlets, bracelets, anklets, and sometimes earrings. Noble boys were shown wearing an occasional armlet or a bracelet. In other words, small children were typically naked or their dress was minimal, save for some ornamental jewelry. Once boys were of school age, they wore a tunic or a skirt of some kind; once girls hit puberty, they started wearing clothing in the style of their mothers.

Even though non-royal children did not tend to wear clothes throughout their childhood, they do give scholars some significant information: in the rare event that common children wore clothes, their garments were relatively the same as those of royal children's. One difference is lower class boys wore loincloths rather than skirts or tunics.

4.6 Specialized Occupations or Occasions: Knives and needles were the basic tools to cut and sew the fabric. There were certain occasions, or certain people, that needed more flare. Most ancient Egyptians preferred their clothing to be white or whitish, and so dying fabric was not very common, though it existed.

4.6.1 Military Costume: During the New Kingdom, initially the new recruits faced a hard school of discipline as soon as they were settled in their barracks. Their "uniform" was usually a short kilt or merely a penis sheath, with a feather in the hair for ornament. They were toughened up with a regime of alternati9ng physical exercise, wrestling and weapon training. For breaches of discipline, the commander would order a thrashing, often by his fellow recruits.

 4.6.2 Religious Costume: Clothing in Ancient Egypt was typically made out of white linen. Wool was used also, but it was not allowed in any of the temples because the material came from animals. Due to Egyptian religious beliefs about animals, wool was not permitted to touch the skin. Also, linen was a cooler material, and considering the warmth of the climate, it was better for most Egyptians.

 4.6.3 Costume for Musician, Dancers & Acrobats: While many cultures have very specific and often elaborate dancing costumes, the clothes worn by Egyptian dancers were hardly elaborate or involved enough to even call them an actual costume.

In many scenes that have survived the ages, dancers (females, specifically) are found moving their arms and legs without being trapped by cloth of any sort, except for the occasional small fringed skirt or tunic, not always worn simultaneously. There were other times when dancing took place in the nude, with nothing but a single ribbon tied loosely about the waist.