Dynastic ‘Figure aux Plumes’ limestone plaque from Lagash (Aruz 2003 : 68 , fig. 27 ).
The figure on the plaque wears a net skirt, like the one described above.
Another type of men’s dress is depicted on seals and on the Lion Hunt Stele, where
the main figure/king is wearing the short kilt with thick border and a cap with a scarf
tied round it (see Figure 11. 4 this volume). The round cap with a scarf seen on cylinder
seals and reliefs is worn by male figures wearing the short kilt or the net-like long skirt.
It is the only type of headgear from the pre-Early Dynastic period, and may represent
a crown or indicate an important personage.
Unlike in later periods, the dress worn by the ‘goddess’ on the Warka vase is the only
archaeological evidence of the type of dress elite women wore (see Figure 10. 1 this
volume). The female workers who appear on many seals are depicted in plain garments,
this is possibly due to the stylised carving of the period, but it may also be how the
common people dressed (Amiet 1980 : pl. 18 , fig. 305 – 306 ). Elaborate dress was the
domain of the rulers, particularly when participating in religious ceremonies. It is,
however, sometimes difficult to differentiate the rank of the figures by the short kilt
which is worn by both the ‘king’ on the Lion Hunt Stele and the attendant on the
Warka vase. It is the scarf round the headdress that seems to indicate high rank. The
scarf seems to survive into later periods as a symbol of high rank. It can be seen on the
bronze head of Sargon, and on representations of Gudea and Hammurabi. The scarf
was not confined to the male headdress: Enheduana, the daughter of Sargon and
priestess of the Moon god, is wearing a cap with a band round it on the stone disk
found at Ur (see Figure 12. 1 this volume). In the Gilgamesh Epic, Utu-napishtim
instructed Ur-shanabi the boatman to prepare Gilgamesh for going back to Uruk: ‘Put
a new band on his head’ (Dalley 2008 : 118 ), a clear sign of the importance of the br’m.
It is tempting to say that such a headdress survives today in Baghdad–a distinctive dress
of the local men, a cap with scarf-like cloth folded and wrapped around the head.
THE EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD
Evidence for the dress of the first historical periods comes mostly from ceremonial
contexts, religious, military, or funerary, and they belong exclusively to the elite of the
society. Our knowledge of what ordinary Sumerians who were not in the service of the
temple or the royal court wore is sparse.Evidence of differing styles from the Early Dynastic statues
Among the remarkable relics the Sumerians left us are numerous statues and reliefs,
in addition to the cylinder seals. They were mostly discovered in temples. The Standard
of Ur (see below) and the hoard of statues from the Abu temple at Tell Asmar are
the best examples to illustrate the various types of dress worn by men and women
(Figure 19. 2 ).Women
Women’s fashion as seen on statues, and occasionally on seals, consisted of plain or
tufted/fleeced garments. The garments are usually draped over the left shoulder with
the other shoulder bare, and fall down in folds indicated by incisions or borders (Aruz–– A note on Sumerian fashion ––