CATHERINE COOK SCHOOL
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FASHION
Francesca Sacchetti
Table of Contents Egyptian Clothing……………………… 2
Egyptian Jewelry……………………… 3
Egyptian Makeup……………………… 4
Egyptian Hairstyles……………………… 5
Glossary……………………………………… 7
Bibliography………………………………… 8
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Ancient Egyptian Fashion Fashion was a huge part of being an ancient Egyptian. In this paper you will find out how fashion, jewelry, makeup, and hairstyles changed through the years in ancient Egypt. You might have thought ancient Egyptians wore the same thing as any other person would today, but it’s different… way different.
Many different types of clothing were found in ancient Egypt. Their clothing was made from linen, which is made from plant flax. The linens that they wore were transparent. Their tunics and linens were custom made to the right size. If you were higher in social classes your clothes would be better. Cotton and silk did not appear in ancient Egypt, until foreign rulers came to overpower Egypt in 1000BC. People often worked naked, and sometimes servant girls would just wear a belt. Men that worked wore short skirts instead of their daily clothing (tunics), called kilts. Their kilts were wrap skirts mad of finely pleated linen tied in a large loop falling to the knees. Wealthy people had to wash themselves before getting dressed. Egyptians decorated their clothes with feathers and beads. I don’t think you could live in a city without shoes, but you could in ancient Egypt! Only priests were allowed to wear reed sandals. Rich Egyptians wore sandals made out of fine leather, while poor Egyptians wore sandals made out of papyrus or woven grass. They only wore shoes when necessary. Their clothing was a lot different!
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In this picture you see men wearing kilts that hang to their knees and women wearing head dresses.
Jewelry was one of the most important things to look beautiful in ancient Egypt. Gold and copper were used a lot for jewelry. They emulate their gems with polychrome glass. Egyptians would use flint to carve stone. Jewelry was a symbol for many things. Men and woman wore jewelry for a symbol of wealth. Men and woman both wore gold if they could afford it. A lot of the jewelry they wore was similar to the kind we have today. Whether they were rich or poor, they will wear rings, necklaces, and ear studs. Some necklaces and earrings feature a magic charm to prevent snake bites or disasters. If an Egyptian found a bracelet with an udjat eye on it that meant it was lucky. Some ear studs were made out of glass. If earrings were gold, they were often little rings. Rings were often a swiveling shape of a scarab beetle. Scarabs are made out of soapstone. Bright colored collars were made of glass beads, flowers, berries, and leaves. Collars were worn for banquets and other special occasions. On lucky belts cowrie shells showed the desire to have children. The falcon pectoral was worn on the chest. A falcon pectoral represents the god Re. Stealing jewelry from a tomb was one of the worst things to do in ancient Egypt. They found a lot of jewelry from ancient Egypt.
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Every Egyptian loved makeup. They always wanted to look beautiful. Men and woman both wore makeup. Makeup was made from animal fat and mineral pigments. Egyptians wore it to symbolize things. They often wore green and blue eye shadow. Their green eye shadow was made from minerals called malachite. Egyptians wore green eye shadow to symbolize fertility. Egyptians used different types of makeup depending on where they want to put it on their body. Egyptian woman used henna to color their lips and nails. Lipsticks and blushes were made from ocher. Black eye liner was made from galena. Face cream pots were mostly the shape of a mother duck. Metal applicators were used for scooping, mixing, and applying pigment. Cosmetics were stored in jars, bowls, and hollow reeds. Egyptians loved makeup!
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Ocher
Malachite
Galena Ancient Egypt had many different types of hairstyles. Most Egyptians did NOT have long hair. Woman only wore their hair down to their shoulders. Women curled their hair with tongs. They needed ivory combs to brush their wigs. At parties, rich Egyptians wore cones of scented wax or animal fat that melted to perfume their wigs. Hair pins were used to hold pomades of perfume in place on their wigs. Hairstyles back in ancient Egypt were not as creative as some peoples are today. The best wigs were made with human hair and stuck in place with beeswax. Poor Egyptians bought wigs that were made of wool or plant fibers. The wig seller had to comb out any lice eggs before they could be sold. Everyone almost wore a wig. Men and woman shaved their heads to keep cool in the heat. Pharaohs shaved their heads because they were priests. Children had their heads shaved, too. Children had a braid on the side of their head, but when they turned 12 the braid got shaved off.
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Pharaohs wore fake beards. Even girls did.
Now you see how different ancient Egyptian clothing was from what we wear today. Ancient Egypt is filled with interesting facts, especially fashion, jewelry, makeup, and hair. Egyptians were special because they were one of the first people to ever try to take fashion to the next level.
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Glossary Applicator: A tool used to apply makeup. Galena: A lustrous grey mineral. Henna: A type of brown skin dye. Kilt: A knee length pleated skirt. Leather: Animal skin dressed for use. Linen: Cloth made of plant flax. Papyrus: Weaved Reed. Pharaoh: The ruler of ancient Egypt. Reed: Tall slender grass. Scarab: A special beetle that symbolized the god of the sun, Kherpri. Symbol: A shape that stands for something else. Tongs: A grasping device. Udjat: An eye that is a symbol of luck.
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Bibliography The History Of Egyptian Jewelry. (2012). Retrieved March 22, 2013, from www.allaboutgemstones.com carr, D. (1998). Egyptian Clothing. Retrieved from www.historyforkids.org Hart, G. (2008). Ancient Egypt. New York: DK eyewitness. Powell, J. ( 2011). The Gruesome Truth About Egyptians. New York: Windmill Books. Salariga, D. (1995). How Would You Survive as an Ancient Egyptian. New York: Franklin Watts. Steele, P. (2000). Find Out About Ancient Egypt. Batheastan: South Water.
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