shoulder bare. In the New Kingdom every color except black
was used for clothing.
Footwear was initially unusual in Egypt. Good ter-
rain and a warm climate made footwear unnecessary. Only
priests wore sandals, which consisted of leather, papyrus,
or wooden soles held on by straps. Th ese sandals gradual-
ly were adopted by the general population. Both men and
women wore the same design. Wealthier people wore more
elaborate sandals with jeweled ornamentation. Children
probably went barefoot.
THE MIDDLE EAST
BY CARYN E. NEUMANN
Th e Sumerians, Babylonians, Persians, and Assyrians of the
ancient world had the same consistency in dress over the cen-
turies and the same preference for draped materials as other
ancient peoples. Unlike their contemporaries the Egyptians,
the people of the Near East developed clothing that suited a
range of climates from the cold of high altitudes to the hot,
dry desert regions.Pair of child’s leather sandals from Th ebes, Egypt, New Kingdom (© Th e Trustees of the British Museum)
clothing and footwear: The Middle East 275