Ancient and Modern Egyptian Clothing, Beauty, and Culture

Introduction

This paper discusses widely varying aspects of life in Egypt from ancient times to the present. Daily life for common citizens as well as life for royalty in Egypt will be compared, with attention to the different methods of dress and textiles used across Egyptian society. A great deal of focus is also brought to the culture, laws, and rights of the people. A significant portion of the paper addresses various items of jewelry and adornments such as headdresses and tattoos, as well as wigs and hairstyles, along with other methods of body care and personal grooming.

Clothing and Textiles

Although ancient Egyptians had very little variety in the style and type of clothing worn, the notable exception to this rule was Egyptian royalty. In modern Egypt, since the widespread adoption of the Muslim faith, a small percentage of women choose to wear the traditional hijab (a robe with a veil), but most women and men also wear fashions greatly influenced by Western culture — such as jeans, loose-fitting layered shirts, comfortable sandals or flats, and perhaps a veil (Abaza, 282). This style of dress for modern Egyptians is known as "ethnic chic" or "Islamic chic."

From ancient times to the present, one unwavering factor has influenced the style of dress for Egyptians: the weather. Egyptians have always been subject to extremely dry, hot conditions punctuated only briefly by monsoons during summer. This means that clothing has always been made of lighter-weight cotton fabric intended to protect the skin from the sun while keeping the wearer cool. In modern Egypt, clothing is mostly worn in light layers; however, for some people working outdoors in ancient Egypt, little was worn beyond a small loincloth ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing").

Even after the production and manufacturing of wool was discovered, linen remained the primary textile in Egypt. Linen was made from the woven fibers of the flax plant, which could range in color from light brown (a mature flax plant), white (from washing and drying in the sun), and pale green (a young, not fully mature flax plant). These colors, along with variations in stiffness and volume, carried connotations of social status ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). The tools used to weave flax into linen were rudimentary wooden spindles and pottery spinning bowls, which eventually gave way to wooden loom tools and various types of sewing needles ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). Modern Egypt still uses linen for clothing but has expanded to include muslin, chiffon, gauze, and cotton (Russell, 21). During the nineteenth century, advertisements for Singer sewing machines began appearing in the Egyptian market, most likely increasing the manufacturing capabilities of Egyptian clothing and textiles (Russell, 24).

Laundry and washing was a particularly tiresome task requiring significant effort, yet one that was considered essential — Egyptians firmly believed that cleanliness was next to godliness ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). As there was no soap during ancient times, servants in the pharaoh's palace formed whole teams to complete the laundry, including a "chief washer to the pharaoh," who oversaw the entire operation ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). The procedure was to manually beat, wash (using lye and castor oil, or a soapy plant base such as soapwort), rinse, and wring out each piece of linen before transferring it outdoors to dry ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). Common people usually had an even harder time, as they had no access to boiler pots and typically went to the riverbanks to do their washing, or hauled water back to their homes in earthen pots ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing").

Adornments and Beauty

Compared to common citizens, who usually wore plain linen tunics, skirts, or loincloths, Egyptian royalty dressed in a completely different manner that reflected their wealth and importance. Royalty typically had a garment for every part of the body. Men wore elaborate tunics complete with kilts, often accompanied by detailed shawls or wraps topped off by intricate headdresses. Female royalty wore skirts and tunics as well, but also had long, snug-fitting dresses with slits in the front to show the legs, sometimes featuring elaborate pleating or specialty dyework, which was rare but not unknown ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). Most people went barefoot in Egypt, but when an occasion called for footwear, shoes were usually fashioned from strips of reed or leather formed into an upturned thong or slipper, depending on the style needed for the season ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing"). Sandals were available to nearly everyone except the very poorest, and the pharaoh himself could be seen wearing intricate golden sandals, though he was often portrayed as going barefoot as well ("Ancient Egypt: Clothing").

In addition to their clothing, royalty further dressed themselves with elaborate jewelry, tattoos, piercings, perfumed oils, wigs, and makeup. Women and men of importance and wealth had access to beautiful jewelry ranging from bangles, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and neck pieces to rings, anklets, pendants, amulets, hairpieces, and loose jewels for decorating the hair or clothing (Batten, 154). Jewelry materials typically included gold, gems, and pearls (Batten, 156). Both men and women wore rings, earrings, bracelets, and armlets. Since cleanliness was prized, heads were often shaved along with other body hair, and wigs were worn to formal occasions in lieu of natural hairstyles. Young girls typically wore their hair short or in pigtails, while boys shaved their heads except for a small lock of hair, which protected against head lice (Chaudhri and Jain, 164). Wigs could be made from "sheep's wool or human hair," which was groomed and kept clean by placing an oil cone on top; the cone would melt, leaving the wig shiny and pleasantly scented (Chaudhri and Jain, 164).

Smell was extremely important to Egyptians — being malodorous or having bad breath was a source of public shame (Chaudhri and Jain, 165). As masters of perfumery and essential oil distillation, Egyptians used perfumed oils and solid cones in everyday life: for protection from the sun, for moisture during dry weather, to cleanse the skin during bathing, and to condition and perfume the body and hair (Chaudhri and Jain, 165). Egyptians were also forerunners in cosmetics and body dyes. For "lips, cheeks and nails, a clay called red ochre was ground and mixed with water. Henna was used to dye the fingernails yellow or orange" (Chaudhri and Jain, 165). Another heavily used cosmetic was kohl, made from gray lead ore, burnt almonds, lead, antimony, oxidized copper, or ash mixed with oil and applied to the eyes using a stick. Kohl was believed to protect the eyes from the sun's rays, heal eye infections, and restore poor eyesight to the wearer. Various dyes were also used to color the skin, hair, eyebrows, and cheeks (Chaudhri and Jain, 164).

Tools and equipment used for beauty included highly polished mirrors for applying makeup and cosmetics; small jars or boxes for products such as kohl, solid perfumes, oils, cleansing creams, dyes, and powders; and special stands or boxes for storing wigs and hairpieces. When attending a party or special occasion, women often brought their makeup kits with them and stored them under their seats (Chaudhri and Jain, 164). In today's modern Egypt, the cosmetics industry has expanded to include self-tanning products, skin-lightening creams, deodorants, various kinds of soaps, perfumes, and dental care products (Russell, 21).