Egyptian Clothing and Jewelry
Egyptian Clothing and Jewelry
The Ancient Egyptians wore very light clothing made of linen. The most
wealthy Egyptians and members of the royal family
wore the finest linen. This linen was
frequently washed and for a radiant finish the clothing was bleached and
starched. The linen clothes of the richest women was so fine that it was
transparent. The jewelry provided the vibrant color to the fashionable
Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptians wore many different types of jewelry,
many items were light and delicate. But the pectoral form of jewelry was a large,
heavy and elaborate
piece of jewelry worn on the chest which often took the shapes of
falcons and scarabs. Pectorals of gold inlaid with
precious stones were owned by both royal Egyptian men and women which were created using the cloisonne technique where the outlines
of figures and symbols were connected with gold wires that were then
soldered to fine sheets of beaten gold and later inlaid with precious stones
or faience.
Egyptian Women - Clothing and Jewelry
The purpose of these unusually large
pieces of jewelry might seem somewhat obscure. In order to form a
correct judgment, we have, however, to remember in what fashion the
women of ancient Egypt were clad. They wore clothing which consisted of
a kind of smock of semi-transparent material, which came very little
higher than the waist. The chest and bosom, neck and shoulders, were
bare; and the one garment was kept in place by only a slender pair of
straps or braces. The rich clothed these uncovered bare parts of their
anatomy with jewelry.
Egyptian Women -
Types of Jewelry which complimented the sheer linen
The Egyptian Women used different
types of jewelry which complimented the sheer linen of their clothing:
-
The usekh - a
large collar known as the usekh half hid the shoulders and
chest
-
The pectoral - a
large, heavy and elaborate
piece of jewelry worn on the chest masked the hollow between the breasts
-
Sometimes even
the breasts were covered with two golden cups, either
painted or enamelled
Egyptian Clothing and Jewelry
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