WWISFD students recreating garments of the Egyptian Era

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient North-eastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It is one of six civilizations globally to arise independently. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC. The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats, Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known peace treaty, made with the Hittites. Egypt left a lasting legacy. 

A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by Europeans and Egyptians led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy.

Our students created two looks for the Egyptian civilization, a male and female. The male look comprised of a loincloth made of cotton which we wrapped around the dummy. Over the loincloth was the Shenti. Students constructed the shenti out of a flowy white cloth like georgette and pleated the material. The Shenti consisted of a central part called Chendot. We constructed it using the material that bore Egyptian motifs. The male outfit also comprised of a Pectoral Necklace which in ancient Egypt was made of pure gold and lapis-lazuli stone. It also has gold bracelets. A Gold menes was also made by us as the men in the ancient Egypt wore gold masks. There is also a false beard which the Egyptian men wore with their masks.

The female look consisted of the Kalasiris, which the students made of a sheer white pleated material. Kalasiris had a golden belt which was worn above it. There is a sleeved covering called “Haik” which is put over the Kalasiris. The females also wore Pectoral necklace similar to what the men wore. The hair is braided into tiny numerous braids. The Female dummy has a Snake Headgear which we created using gold papers.

Creating these looks was a great learning experience for us the students as they got to research a lot about Egyptian culture and discovered a lot of facts about the Egyptian Civilization.