In West Africa several surviving terra-cotta fi gurines
from Nok, on the Benue plateau of modern-day Nigeria, sur-
vive. First discovered in 1928, these objects date from the fi ft h
century b.c.e. Th ey show people w it h beaded ha i r but wea r i ng
very little except a small, tight loincloth, occasionally seem-
ing to be a piece of rolled cloth or rope. Th ere are suggestions
that this was the style of the artwork of the Yoruba people of
Nok, who were keen to emphasize the detail of hairstyles.
EGYPT
BY CARYN E. NEUMANN
Th e wealth of ancient Egyptian works of art, ordinary ob-
jects, and written records that have survived through the ages
has provided scholars with a fairly good picture of Egyptian
clothing and footwear. Egyptian civilization existed at about
the same time as the civilizations of the Mesopotamian re-
gion, but the warmer climate in Egypt led to creation of a
clothing style very diff erent from that of those civilizations.
Th e Egyptians, like many ancient peoples, initially
dressed in animal skins. Quite early they developed the art
of tanning and dressing leather. Even aft er cloth had been de-
veloped, the Egyptians continued to use leather for clothing,
particularly for belts and shoes. More so than the Greeks and
Mesopotamians, the Egyptians dressed in linen. Egyptian
dress relied on linen because it kept the wearer cool in a hot
climate. Th e basic style of clothing complemented the natural
lines of the body. Th e preference for one fi ber and a consis-
tent style is typical of ancient civilizations. Egyptians used
wool for many garments but oft en used linen underneath the
wool clothing. Th e Egyptians also apparently originated the
practice of interweaving linen with wool, probably to take ad-
vantage of the soft er properties of linen. Th e Egyptians were
noted for fi ne embroidery. In the later period of their civi-
lization the Egyptians embroidered with gold thread made
of beaten and rounded strips of metal. Overall, the Egyptian
style of dress involved more luxurious fabrics and styles than
the style of contemporary civilizations in other regions.
Th e Egyptians had a style that was essentially timeless.
Th ey dressed in the same fashions for thousands of years. Th e
basic garment worn by men of the Old Kingdom (2575–2134
b.c.e.) was a white loincloth, or schenti, that was wrapped
around the body several times and held in place by a girdle, or
wide belt, that kept the schenti fi tted closely around the hips.
Th e type of fabric and amount of fabric in the schenti indi-
cated status. Th e garment was made of linen for the pharaohs
and priests, but common people dressed in leather or wo-
ven vegetable fi bers. Wealthier Egyptians had their schentis
decorated with gold thread. Decoration was also achieved by
rounding one end of the fabric to form a diagonal line across
the front, by pleating the end or by placing decorative panels
at the front. Paintings indicate that some men wore a network
of fabric, possibly leather, over the schenti.
People of both sexes in the Old Kingdom wore wide
collars decorated with embroidery and beads. Women wore
white linen, tubelike, tight-fi tting dresses held in place by two
straps. Th e straps might or might not have covered the nipple.
Th e dresses were highly decorated with embroidery, painted
designs, appliqués, leather, beadwork, or woven patterns.
Only important men wore a schenti that was decorated.
Th e common people did not drape a large amount of material
and used a simpler design that refl ected their relatively in-
signifi cant social standing. Lower-caste women wore tunics.
Slaves and dancing girls either went naked or dressed in a
small loincloth held up with a narrow waistband. As is typi-
cal of every Egyptian period, in the Old Kingdom children
either dressed like adults or went naked. Some artwork shows
girls wearing a belt at the waist. Aft er beginning school, boys
dressed in the schenti. Girls went naked until puberty, when
they adopted adult garb.
In the Middle Kingdom (2140–1640 b.c.e.) men wore the
schenti and added a linen cape knotted on the chest. A short
version of the cape sometimes exposed the midriff , and a long
version was tucked into a skirt or was belted. Some cape fab-
rics were very sheer. Th e skirts were elongated, sometimes
reaching to the ankle, but workers, soldiers, and hunters wore
shorter versions. A double skirt, the under layer opaque and
the outer layer sheer, appeared in the Middle Kingdom and
was worn into the New Kingdom (1550–1070 b.c.e.).
Pharaohs and priests of the Middle Kingdom wore pleat-
ed linen skirts, occasionally with a leopard or lion skin as
a shawl. Animal skins were reserved for the most powerful
members of Egyptian society because of a belief that wearing
the skin of a fi erce beast magically transferred the animal’s
powers to the human. Soldiers wore a loincloth, leather apron,
and linen breastplate. Th e linen was folded in a manner to
defl ect attacks. For women, the Old Kingdom style of dress
extended into the Middle Kingdom.
By the time of the New Kingdom increased trade brought
new clothing styles to Egypt. Longer tunics, similar to those
worn in Mesopotamia, appeared. Th ese garments were worn
over loincloths and skirts or underneath skirts. Both men
and women dressed in a kalasiris. Th is linen tunic, made of
transparent gauze, had a design at the base and was worn
over a loincloth. Some tunics were seamed at the sides, and
some had either short or long sleeves made separately and
then sewn on. Th e kalasiris might cover the body so snugly as
to restrict movement or might be worn very loosely. It might
have a band over one shoulder, or it might reach up to the
neck. A kalasiris could be short, as working people wore to
allow greater movement, or long, as worn by the wealthy. Th e
material of a kalasiris was either woven or knitted and typi-
cally was pleated. In one variation the fabric was arranged so
that the pleats fell in diff erent directions at diff erent points
on the body. A girdle usually was worn with a kalasiris. If no
girdle was worn, the rectangular shape of the material was
altered so that it narrowed at the shoulders. A woman’s kala-
siris would be more ornately embroidered than a man’s and
oft en was pleated with batwing sleeves. It became fashionable
for women to use only one shoulder strap, leaving the other274 clothing and footwear: Egypt