5601oa+Ancient+Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Fashion:

A Catwalk Through the Past

Olivia Anagnostis

Reading Language Arts 5/6

Mr. Keith Schoch

June 7th 2012



What are you wearing right now? Go ahead and look. Now picture yourself wearing a light white dress, if you’re a girl, or a skirt if you’re a boy. This is what the Ancient Egyptians wore. The word Egypt means “the river Nile.” (http://tinyurl.com/blws7ay)Ancient Egypt was located around the Nile River and borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.(Day 9) It lasted from about 5000B.C.E to 300B.C.E. That’s about 4700 years. (http://tinyurl.com/7tebkr2) Every great civilization comes to an end including ancient Egypt, but they must have left something behind. The legacy the Egyptians left behind includes, the pyramids, sphinx, hieroglyphics, and papyrus scrolls.(http://tinyurl.com/7x4ut9v)

So, you want to learn about Ancient Egyptian fashion? Egyptian fashion is unique and adapted to their way of living. The ancient Egyptian clothes kept them from getting burned in the sun, while not getting too hot. (Harcourt Social Studies World History) I’m going to talk about the three different classes, lower class, middle class, and upper class.

The first class is the upper class. The upper class consisted of royalty. The kings wore tunics, gown like clothing, that went to about their knees. Queens wore tunics that were a little bit longer and went to their ankles. Kings and Queens both wore blue and green eyeshadow and khol,a type of powder,eyeliner (http://tinyurl.com/8y42qpc) Both also shaved their head but wore wigs in public. (Walker 35)

The next class is the middle class. The middle class is the working class. Men wore kilts, a short skirt for men, and some eye makeup. Women wore tunics. They also wore eye makeup like women today. The women and men wore any jewlery they couold afford(http://tinyurl.com/8y42qpc).

The last class and the lowest class is the lower class. The lower class had the least money and worst jobs but they still had a good life. They wore most of the same things as the middle class. Men wore black eyeliner under their eyes for the same reason football players do today, which is to reduce the glare. Men wore hair short while women wore skirts called kilts. Workers that worked in the fields their hair to about their sholders(http://tinyurl.com/8y42qpc).

Over time the Egyptians changed. They were taken over by many different cultures, one of which was the Romans. Their government changed and so did their way of living. They no longer had a pharaoh and just got rid of their dictator too. Also what they wore changed. Now Egyptians wear the same clothes as you and me. The Egyptians were a great culture and left a great legacy of building and efficiency.

Glossary

hieroglyphics: a type of ancient Egyptian writing khol: a powder substance used for eyeliner in ancient Egypt kilts: a skirt for men worn in ancient Egypt and in other cultures legacy: something left behind by someone papyrus: a paper like substance used by the Egyptians to keep records tunics: a garment worn by the Egyptians that represents a dress

Image Credits: 1-[] 2-[] 3-[|http://www.historylink101.net/egypt_images/male-kilt.jpg] 4-[]

Works Cited

Berson, Michael J. Harcourt Social Studies : World History. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2007. Day, Nancy. "Page 53." Your Travel Guide to Ancient Egypt. Minneapolis: Runestone, 2001. "Egyptian Clothing." - Ancient Egypt for Kids! Web. 25 May 2012. . "Online Etymology Dictionary." Online Etymology Dictionary. Web. 25 May 2012. . Walker, Jane. 100 Things You Should Know about Ancient Egypt. Broomall, PA: Mason Crest, 2003.