Dress
In Ancient Egypt, flax played a fundamental role in the basis of housing, clothing, soft furnishings and animal equipment. Individuals in society created linen garments to clothe their bodies in everyday life, through to the cycle of a funerary context. The creation of garments for the deceased to prepare them for the afterlife was an integral part of Egyptian culture. Flax has been incorporated since its inception from as early as the Neolithic Period, stemming from around 5000 BC.
During the Egyptian period, gendered roles were embedded through the relationship of fashion and dress, men predominantly wore linen kilts, which were fashioned by wrapping a rectangular length of material around the hips, the kilts were often horizontally pleated. Interestingly, the more pleated the material, the higher the status of the individual. Occupation and occassion were huge influences of dress in Ancient Egypt, indeed there were four prominent different qualities of linen which stemmed from royal linen, fine thin cloth, thin cloth and smooth cloth. It is evidenced through surviving garments that the function of dress in Ancient Egypt were often used as a status symbol and we see these different elements unravel through the analysis of dress history and preservation of tunics.
Below is a selection of surviving garments from pattern layouts of dress to detailed tunics exploring the different ways in which dress, status and flax in society was integrated in Ancient Egyptian society.
Gebelein Dress
Sixth Dynasty Tomb at Gebelein, ca. 2345- 2181 BC| This is a pleated dress from the Sixth Dynasty tomb at Gebelein, so from the years between 2345 – 2181 BC, during the decline of the Old Kingdom, which is now showcased in the Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy. The Turin dress derives from a Sixth Dynasty tomb, containing an unidentified skeleton. The image showcasing the pattern layout of the Gebelein dress in Italy shows on the top right bodice layout the sheer extent of wear and tear this artefact has been through. The pleated dress is comprised of three pieces of material joined together by seams. The total length is 122cm and the maximum width (when folded) is 59cm. We can see where the pleating under the arms have almost disappeared and the presence of stains seen within the detailed image; this might allude to the kind of social status of the individual in society. We can see that this dress was clearly made to measure from the specific measurements, but from the stains it proves the individual would have actually worn this garment in their lifetime, this surviving garment clearly shows, unlike other objects, that this was really worn instead of being made purely for burial to prepare individuals for the afterlife. Often when contemporary historians look at ancient Egyptian surviving garments, they often depict the upper and elitist class, which of course was a very small percentage of Egyptian society. When dress historians try to unpick glimpses of history through surviving artefacts they implement three different stages to identify key ideas of where the garment may be situated, what time frame was the garment worn, who may have worn it ... These key stages implemented through dress historians range from observation, reflection and interpretation. |
Bibliography
Mayerson, P. (1997) ‘The role of Flax in Roman and Fatimid Egypt’, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 56(3), pp. 201–207. doi:10.1086/468554.
Santoncito, M. (2021) Keeping up with the times: The Museo Egizio in Turin | Italy, ASEFculture360.(online) Available at: https://culture360.asef.org/insights/keeping-times-museo-egizo-turin-italy/ (Accessed 25th October 2024.)
The Tarkhan Dress
Early Dynastic, ca. 3482-3102 BCThis early tunic, made to fit a child of around 10 years of age, is among the earliest surviving linen garments of Ancient Egypt. Though the stitching is crude, there is also evidence of decorative elements such as pleating. The garment reflects a transitional period in burials between wrapping the body in linen clothes and the introduction of linen wraps and garments serving magical function.
Here, we can see the fusion of Flax and more contemporary attempts to blend the once wearable garment to a delicate fragment of dress history seen from the fusion of Flax and mesh materials.
This surviving garment, although beautiful now, has not always looked like this. It was excavated in Tarkan, one of the most prominent cemeteries from the time Egypt was unified. The Museum of Egyptian Archeology excavated this dress in 1913; when this linen was cleaned by one of the members of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Textile Conservation Workshop; it was then sewn together using a very delicate material used within conservation known as ‘Crepeline.’
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London. (LDUCE-UC28614b).
Bibliography
(Online) Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (n.d.) The Tarkhan Dress. Early Dynastic, c. 3482–3102 BC. Linen, 58 cm length. Available at: https://collections.ucl.ac.uk/Details/collect/42959 (Accessed: 25 November 2024).
Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and wife
Old Kingdom, ca. 2465-2323 BCThis private sculpture from the Old Kingdom depicts a husband and wife together. As a supervisor of palace retainers, Ptahkhenuwy and his wife’s dress reflect their social rank. For Ptahkhenuwy, a wraparound kilt is favoured, whilst for his wife a V-neck sheath dress clings to her body in a manner that is far less practical.
From Giza, tomb G 2004. 1906: excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; 1906: assigned to the MFA by the Egyptian government. (06.1876).
Bibliography
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (n.d.) Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and wife. Old Kingdom, c. 2465–2323 BC. Painted limestone, 70.1 cm height. Available at: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/137139
Strudwick, N. and Strudwick, H. (1999) Thebes in Egypt: A Guide to the Tombs and Temples of Ancient Luxor. London: British Museum Press, pp. 56–63.
Female musicians from tomb of Djeserkareseneb
New Kingdom, ca. 1400-1390 BCThis copy of a New Kingdom mural illustrates the diversity in clothing among female Egyptians. On either side, a harpist and lyrist are dressed in dyed and patterned dresses, whilst between them is a piper in sheer linen gown, a nude lutenist, and a younger girl who is also nude. The image, likely part of a larger depiction of a banquet, highlights the varied (and often optional) applications of linen to clothing during the New Kingdom.
Painted at Qurna by Charles K. Wilkinson for the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1920-1921. Brought to New York and accessioned, 1930.
Bibliography
Strudwick, N. (2005) The Tombs of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 142–148
Wilkinson, C.K. (ca. 1906–1935) Female musicians from tomb of Djeserkareseneb. Copied from original (New Kingdom, c. 1400–1390 BC). Tempera on paper, 41 x 64.8 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 30.4.9. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/557727 (Accessed: 25 November 2024).
Cuff band from tunic
Early Byzantine period, late-4th-5th century ADThe band of tapestry-woven wool and linen would have originally formed the cuff to a tunic produced in Coptic Egypt. Its design reflects the spread of Byzantine decorative styles and motifs to Egypt, with running animals woven into roundels bordered by grave vine scrolls. Such garments might have been woven for domestic use among the Hellenised population or for export to Byzantium itself.
Preserved at Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA. (2004.204).
Bibliography
Browning, R. (1993) The Byzantine Empire. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, pp. 178–185.
Harvard Art Museums (n.d.) Cuff band from tunic. Early Byzantine period, late 4th–5th century AD. Wool and linen, 19.7 x 30.2 cm. Available at: https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/54963 (Accessed: 25 November 2024).