| Jewelry and ornaments | | | | of the sun. Made from a thick material, it was fixed at |
| Ancient Egyptian attire, with the exception of nobility's | | | | the temples and fell in folds over the shoulders. |
| garments, was simple and unadorned. Color and | | | | Wigs were worn by both men and women. They had |
| wealth were displayed through accessories, mainly | | | | both a functional and aesthetic purpose. Because of |
| jewelry, which both men and women wore. The simple | | | | the heat and the habitual preoccupation with |
| white pleated clothing was often richly enhanced with | | | | cleanliness, royalty and the nobility shaved their heads |
| wide collars made of shells, beads, flowers, and | | | | and wore wigs made of real hair. The poor, on the |
| precious stones set in gold - a style that originated | | | | other hand, wore wigs made of wool. Cleopatra is |
| during the Old Kingdom. However these decorative | | | | known to have possessed wigs in several hair shades. |
| pieces were only a sample of the range of jewelry | | | | Women's wigs reached their greatest proportions in |
| available. Jewelry was part of ancient Egyptian | | | | the New Kingdom, falling below the shoulder and |
| wardrobe since before the Dynasties and Egyptians | | | | featuring ornate accessories such as gold bands and |
| had mastered the art of jewelry making. Necklaces, | | | | rings, colored glass and jewels. Men wore wigs mainly |
| armlets, bracelets, and anklets were made of gold, | | | | for religious events. |
| coral, pearl, agate, onyx, and chalcedony. Silver was | | | | Footwear |
| the substance of the gods' bones and was mainly | | | | Prior to the 9th century B.C., there is little evidence of |
| used for ornamentation. | | | | footwear being worn by either kings or priests, nor in |
| Accessories also had religious or political significance. | | | | depictions of deities. However, by 814 B.C., sandals |
| The pharaohs' regalia was highly symbolic. The cobra, | | | | appeared. They consisted of two straps and a sole |
| worn on both the crown and the hood-like head-dress, | | | | and protected the feet from the hot desert sand, while |
| was a symbol exclusive to kings in Egypt. And so was | | | | keeping them cool. Both men and women wore the |
| the ankh, which was a sacred sign of life. The crook | | | | same type of sandals, made in a coiled technique using |
| and flail represented authority over the land and the | | | | grass and clean palm leaves, papyrus, wood, and goat |
| people. Amulets, such as scarab beetles, were worn in | | | | skin. Shoes were for indoor wear; they would be |
| life and then buried with the dead for protection. | | | | carried during a journey, and put on when a party |
| Flowers were often used as adornment, not only for | | | | arrived at their destination. |
| their beauty, but also for their sacred qualities. | | | | Beauty and grooming |
| Archeologists have found mummies wearing collars of | | | | Hygiene was very important in ancient Egypt, in part |
| flowers. These were often used in religious | | | | due to the local climate and life conditions. Egyptians |
| ceremonies. | | | | followed strict grooming regimes, often dictated by |
| Hair and head-dresses | | | | decrees. They had their skin exfoliated, rubbed their |
| Hair styles indicated a person's position. Children's hair, | | | | bodies with oils, body scrubs, or incense, cleaned their |
| for example, was short with a long strand falling from | | | | teeth by chewing the root of Salvadora persica, and |
| the right-hand side of the head. Married women often | | | | kept their breath fresh by gargling with milk and |
| wore shoulder-length locks, which framed the face | | | | chewing herbs. |
| while the rest of the hair fell down the back of the | | | | Both men and women wore make-up. Women |
| head. Premarital women and young servant girls | | | | lightened their skin with a yellow ocher color. Men used |
| sometimes held their hair with ringlets to either side of | | | | orange-tinted paint to darken their face skin. Black kohl |
| the face. | | | | or green malachite powder was used to underline the |
| Hair could be either concealed or revealed by a | | | | eyes. Eyebrows were enhanced with grey powder. |
| head-dress. The most famous of ancient Egyptian | | | | Red lip gloss was mixed from fat and ocher. Rouge |
| headgear were the pharaohs' crowns, such as the red | | | | was also popular. |
| crown of Lower Egypt, the towering white crown of | | | | Make-up and perfumes were made and sold by |
| Upper Egypt, the double crown of united Egypt (i.e. the | | | | priests who kept their formulas secret. They extracted |
| combined red and white crowns), and the blue crown | | | | the scent from plants and flowers by steeping them in |
| of battle. | | | | oil to create an essential oil. The substance was stored |
| The ubiquitous fabric head-dress, the bulky klaft, | | | | in cloth and later tightly wrung to collect the perfume |
| primarily served to protect the wearer from the heat | | | | drops. |