The history of nudity is intertwined with the social attitudes toward the naked human body in different cultures throughout history. The use of clothing to cover the body marks the end of the Neolithic period and the beginning of civilizations. Let's explore the significance of clothing and nudity in ancient Egypt.
The Climate and Early Clothing
Egypt's extremely hot climate influenced the minimal clothing worn by its inhabitants. In warm climates, nudity (or near-complete nudity) has traditionally been the social norm for both men and women in hunter-gatherer cultures, and it is still common among many indigenous peoples. However, when the weather was colder, children and adults wore more clothes.
The need to cover the body is associated with human migration out of the tropics into climates where clothes were needed as protection from sun, heat, and dust in the Middle East; or from cold and rain in Europe and Asia. The first use of animal skins and cloth may have been as adornment, along with body modification, body painting, and jewelry, invented first for other purposes, such as magic, decoration, cult, or prestige.
Clothing as a Marker of Civilization
The widespread, habitual use of clothing is one of the changes that mark the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of civilization. Clothing and adornment became part of the symbolic communication that marked a person's membership in their society. Thus, nakedness in everyday life meant being at the bottom of the social scale, lacking dignity and status. However, removing clothes while engaged in work or bathing was commonplace, and deities and heroes might be depicted nude to represent fertility, strength, or purity.
For the average person in ancient Egypt clothing changed little from its beginnings until the Middle Kingdom. Both men and women of the lower classes were commonly bare chested and barefoot, wearing a simple loincloth or skirt around their waist.
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Clothing During Different Periods
Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom (3150-2180 BCE)
During the Early Dynastic Period (3150-2686 BCE) and the Old Kingdom (2686-2180 BCE), the majority of men and women wore similar attire. Skirts called shendyt-which evolved from loincloths and resembled kilts-were customary apparel. Women of the upper classes commonly wore a kalasiris (καλάσιρις), a dress of loose draped or translucent linen which came to just above or below the breasts.
Female servants and entertainers at banquets were partly clothed or naked. Children might go without clothing until puberty, at about age 12. The status of upper-class children was shown by wearing jewelry, not clothing.
First Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom (2181-1650 BCE)
In the First Intermediate Period (2181-2055 BCE) and the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BCE), clothing for most people remained the same, but fashion for the upper classes became more elaborate. During the Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550 BCE) portions of Egypt were controlled by Nubians and by the Hyksos, a Semitic people.
New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE)
During the brief New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE), Egyptians regained control. Upper-class women wore elaborate dresses and ornamentation which covered their breasts. Those serving in the households of the wealthy also began wearing more refined dress.
Children's Clothing
In ancient Egypt, children typically did not wear clothes for most of the year, usually until the age of six. This was practical due to the hot climate. The status of upper-class children was shown by wearing jewelry, not clothing. A popular hairstyle among children was the side-lock, an unshaved length of hair on the right side of the head.
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Once they turned six they were allowed to wear clothing to protect them from the dry heat. Older children wore clothing like that of their parents, a kilt, or skirt, for boys, a simple linen dress for girls.
Materials and Styles
Everyone in Egypt wore clothing made from a fabric called linen. Linen is made from spinning the fibers from the stems of a flax plant. Linen fabric is strong and doesn’t trap heat next to the body like heavy wool. For that reason, linen is comfortable and cool to wear.
- Men's Clothing: The most common piece of clothing worn by men was called a kilt. A kilt is a skirt that wraps around the body and is tied with a belt. It is cool and easy to wear in a hot climate.
- Women's Clothing: Women’s clothing was also made from linen. Wealthy women wore linen that was much lighter weight, which was more expensive to make. Wealthy women also wore dresses made from beads. Women’s dresses were usually long and fitted to the body.
Footwear and Hairstyles
Most children and adults went barefoot and did not wear shoes very often. The type of shoe worn by an ancient Egyptian was a sandal. The ordinary person wore sandals made of straw, while wealthier people wore sandals made of leather, usually for special occasions. During the winter, Egyptians wore socks to keep their feet warm.
Boys and girls wore their hair in a braid on the right side of their head, called the “sidelock of youth”. This was allowed to grow until they became an adult. They either shaved the rest of their head or wore the rest of their hair in shorter braids.
Wigs and Makeup
Wigs were worn by the wealthy of both sexes. Men’s wigs were usually shorter, while women’s wigs could get quite large. Everyone wore eye makeup to prevent infections and decrease the glare from the sun.
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The ancient Egyptians made many unusual and beautiful containers to store makeup and perfume. They also used beauty tools that look a lot like the tools we use today!
Jewelry
The ancient Egyptians loved jewelry. Everyone wore it. The bigger, the better! They wore huge necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and anklets. The ordinary person would wear jewelry made with clay beads, while wealthier people wore gold and gems. The Egyptian preference was towards the use of bright colors, lustrous stones and precious metals. On the other hand, silver was rare and was imported from Asia. Therefore, it was silver that was often considered more precious than gold. Both men and women adorned themselves with earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and neck collars that were brightly colored.
Craftsmen were needed to make clothing, jewelry, and wigs. Egypt had workshops with amazing technology, and a lot of training and skill was required to make these beautiful things.
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Nudity and Social Status
Nudity in ancient Egypt was not necessarily associated with shame, but it could be linked to social status. Nakedness in everyday life often signified being at the bottom of the social scale, lacking dignity and status. However, removing clothes while working or bathing was commonplace.
Representations of Nudity in Art
Sculpture representations of nudity indicate positive associations, in particular the fertility of women with large breasts and wide hips. Artistic relics from the New Kingdom show the largest evolution in men's clothing. Depicting young children naked is common in many cultures. In Egyptian art, pre-pubescent children are often represented naked, differentiating between children and adults.
Nudity in Specific Contexts
- Working: In Egypt, both men and women are sometimes represented having stripped off their clothing for work, such as men working in boats or women tending an oven.
- Entertainment: From the third millennium, female and male musicians were depicted clothed as well as naked, indicating rank differences. Dancers, wrestlers, and other entertainers are mostly naked.
- Warfare: In Mesopotamia, dead enemies and prisoners of war are depicted naked from the late Uruk period onwards, emphasizing their humiliating situation.
- Mourning: Images of women mourners in Egypt were represented with bared breasts, throwing dust over their hair to signify their loss and grief.
- Religion: Towards the end of the second millennium, the sky goddess Nut is shown naked on the ceilings of several of the royal tombs, as the sun makes its nightly journey through her body.
The Ideal of Beauty
Ancient Egyptians had specific ideals of beauty. Women strived to be thin with pert breasts, while men with broad shoulders tapering down to flat stomachs were considered handsome. Thin was in.
Cosmetics
The perfumes of Egypt were the most numerous, but also the most sought and the costliest of antiquity, which used them extensively. The Egyptians used makeup most of all the ancient people. Black kohl, which was used to mark eyes, was obtained from galena. Eye shadow was made from crushed malachite. Red, which was applied to lips, came from ochre. These products were mixed with animal fat to make them compact and to preserve them.
Findings were published by American Chemical Society in the journal Analytic Chemistry suggest that the use of lead in makeup was intentional. Findings suggest that the lead in combination with salts produced naturally by the body produce nitric oxide which boosts the immune system. It is believed that the production and result were intentional.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Materials | Linen was the primary fabric; wool was occasionally used. |
| Styles | Kilts for men, sheath dresses (kalasiris) for women. Elaborate dresses and ornamentation for the upper class. |
| Children | Often wore no clothing until about 6 years old. |
| Jewelry | Popular among all classes; made from clay beads, gold, and precious stones. |
| Cosmetics | Kohl for eyes, red ochre for lips. Used for beauty and health purposes. |
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