History of Costumes

8/12/2019 History of Costumes

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HISTORY OF COSTUMES


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PREHISTORIC

Scientists believe that the earliest stages of human evolution began in Africa aboutseven million years ago as a population of African apes evolved into three differentspecies: gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. Some three million years later earlyhumans stood nearly upright and had developed larger brains, about half the sizeof the modern brain. By 2.5 million years ago it appears that these protohumans,as early humans are known, began to use crude tools such as chipped stones.Beginning about one million years ago, early humans began to migrate out of

Africa and into other parts of the world. In a process that appears to have beencompleted around 10,000 B.C.E., humans spread throughout the world, populatingmost of the major landmasses of the earth. As evolution continued man becametaller and more intelligent and capable. He evolved from the species

Australopithecus into Homo habilus into Homo erectus and finally, about 500,000years ago, into the direct ancestors of modern man, Homo sapiens. Yet human

development was not done. Neanderthal man, an early subspecies of Homosapiensin human evolution, survived from about 200,000 years ago to about30,000 years ago. Neanderthal man developed in several areas of the world andbegan to use more tools to hunt, to build shelters, and to develop the first known

forms of human clothing. Evidence of Neanderthal mans existence has been foundin Europe and in parts of Africa and the Middle East, but it is clear that the

population was fairly small and not spread around the world.


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PREHISTORIC CLOTHING

The first known humans to make clothing,Neanderthal man, survived from about 200,000B.C to about 30000 BC. At some point,Neanderthals learned how to use the thick, furry

hides from these animals to keep themselveswarm and dry. With this discovery, clothing wasborn. Evidence of the very first clothing is mostlyindirect. Archeologists (scientists who study the

fossil and material remnants of past life)discovered chipped rock scrapers that theybelieve were used to scrape meat from animalhides.


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ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egypt is one of the most studied and best known ofthe early civilizations. With its great pyramids and templesthat have survived to the present day, and with the

fascinating mummies found in tombs filled with riches andlined with hieroglyphs, or picture drawings, ancient Egyptprovides a fascinating historical record. Tracing its roots toabout 4000 B.C.E., the civilizations that we know as ancientEgypt existed for nearly four thousand years before theybroke up and came under the control of the Roman Empire.During its peak, from about 2700 B.C.E. to about 750 B.C.E.,ancient Egypt developed a complex and powerfulcivilization and also created fascinating customssurrounding dress and body ornamentation.


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EGYPTIAN CLOTHING

The ancient Egyptians were the first human society to have an identifiable sense of style in

clothing. From Egypts earliest beginnings around 3100 B.C.E. to its eventual decline around

332 B.C.E., Egypts kings and queens, called pharaohs, and its many noble men and women

placed great emphasis on the appearances of their clothes, jewelry, the wigs they wore in

place of natural hair, and their skin. The Egyptians idolized the human body, and the clothes

they wore complimented the lines of the slender bodies that were most appreciated in

Egyptian society.

Dressing for a warm climate

Egypts climate was very warm, as it is today, and Egyptian dress provided the perfect

complement to this warm weather. Both men and women tended to dress very lightly. For

nearly 1,500 years it was very rare for men to wear anything on their torso, or upper body.

For the upper class and the pharaohs, the main form of dress was the schenti, a simple kilt

that tied around the waist and hung about to the knees. Working men wore first a loincloth, avery small garment that covered just the private parts, and later the loin skirt, which was

somewhat more modest and covered from the waist to the mid-thigh.

The importance of linen

The single most important fabric in Egypt was linen. Linen was made from the fibers of a

plant called flax. Egypt had well- developed weaving techniques, and many Egyptian workers

were involved in producing linen fabrics. It was a light fabric, which made it comfortable inhot weather. .


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Kalasiris

The single most distinctive and

important garment worn by

women throughout the history ofancient Egypt was the kalasiris, a

long linen dress.


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PENIS SHEATH

The penis sheath was an essential element ofmens costume in ancient Egypt. Thisstrategically placed strip of cloth was worn,

not out of modesty as we might assume, butto protect what was considered a vital andsacred organ from environmental elements,working hazards, as well as troublesome

insects and tropical dis- eases. In ancientEgypt all men adopted costume thatemphasized the


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SCHENTI

schenti was a rectangular piece of cloth,wrapped around the hips and held in place bytucking one end into the tightly wrapped waist

or by wearing a tied belt. Evidence of theschenti comes from the many hieroglyphs, orpicture drawings, that appear in the well-preserved tombs of Egyptian nobles. It is

believed that the first schenti were made ofleather or animal hides, but soon linenbecame the preferred fabric.


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TUNIC

Ancient Egyptian clothing remained

relatively unchanged for over two

thousand years, with one importantexception: the introduction of the tunic, a

simple garment that covered the upper

body.


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ANCIENT GREECE

Life in ancient Greece developed from three differentcivilizations: the Minoans, the Myceneans, and theancient Greeks. In all three of the civilizations the

evidence indicates that ancient Greeks used clothingfor much more than simply protecting the body fromthe elements. Clothing for these civilizations served asdecoration and signaled the status of the wearer. Thewealthiest citizens adorned themselvesin fine fabrics

and wore elaborate jewelry that required great skill tocreate, while the poorest dressed in basic, coarselymade garments.


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Greek Clothing

The history of clothing in ancient Greece traces

its roots to three significant civilizations: the

Minoans, the Mycenaeans, and the ancient

Greeks. Each of these civilizations created

sophisticated clothing customs. Clothing for

these civilizations served not only to cover and

protect the body, but also to decorate andenhance the beauty of the wearer.


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Ancient Rome

The most powerful of the ancient empires, thecivilization that became the Roman Empire rosefrom humble origins as a city in central Italy. At

the height of its power, the Roman Empirestretched from Spain in the west to present-daySyria in the east, and from Egypt in the south toBritain in the north. The story of the rise and fall

of the Roman Empire, including what the Romanswore during this fascinating era, has captivatedhistorians for two thousand years.


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Stola

The stola was the staple garment of the

married woman in ancient Rome. It was a long

gown, generally sleeveless, that hung nearly

to the feet. The stola was generally worn over

a tunica intima, a light inner shirt. The stola

was typically worn with two belts: one

fastened just below the breasts, creatingblousy folds, and another wider belt fastened

around the waist.


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PALLA

Along with the stola, the palla was the most

common piece of clothing worn by women in

ancient Rome. It was a very simple garment,

yet its simplicity allowed it tobe used in a

great many ways. The basic palla was a large,

rectangular piece of woolen cloth. It was worn

wrapped around the body, either over atunica, or shirt.


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Roman Headwear

The costume traditions of the ancient Romanswere, in general, fairly simple. Romans did nottend to wear hats or decorative headdresses

throughout the long history of their civilization,which lasted from the founding of the city ofRome in 753 B.C.E. to the fall of the RomanEmpire in 476 C.E. In fact, Romans had some

interesting rituals relating to hair. They believedthat washing their hair too frequently woulddisturb the spirits that watched over them.


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Mens hairstyles

Mens hairstyles in ancient Rome were very

simple. short hair, combed forward, became

the most common hairstyle for men. This

hairstyle, known as the Caesar, remains

popular to this day. It was named after the

Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar

(10044 B.C.E.).


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Womens hairstyles

In the early years of Roman history, women

tended to wear their hair long and very simply.

Men and women also wore wigs and hair

extensions. Dyeing the hair was very popular

among women, with blonde being a favorite

color. Men might also dye their hair.


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Jewelry

Although Roman clothing styles in general areknown for their simplicity and lack of ornament,the widespread use of jewelry provided Roman

women with a rare opportunity for display. (Theonly form of jewelry worn by men was the signetring, often a gold ring with a decorative stone atits center.) Fashion historians believe that the

Romans inherited their love of jewelry from theEtruscans who lived in Italy before theestablishment of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E.The Etruscans had a great love of jewelry. Theywore bracelets, earrings, and rings


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RomanFootwear

Egyptians, and Greeks either went barefoot or usedsimple sandals as their dominant form of footwear.

The climate in these regions made such footwearchoices reasonable. But the more variable climateon the Italian peninsula, home to the Etruscans andto the Romans, made wearing sandals or going

barefoot uncomfortable. These societies developedmany different styles of footwear, from lightsandals for indoor wear to heavy boots for militaryuse or for travel to colder climates. Leather was the

primary material used for making footwear inancient Rome. The Romans were very skilled atmaking quality leather from the hides of cows.


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Solea

The solea, or sandal, was the most common

indoor shoe of the ancient Romans. It was a

very simple shoe, consisting of a flat sole held

to the foot with a simple strap across theinstep, similar to todays thongs or flip-flops.

Most of the solea known to historians were

made of leather. Some, however, were madeof wood.


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The Byzantine Empire

The people who we know today as the

Byzantines called themselves Romans, spoke

Greek, and lived in modern-day Turkey. (The

name Byzantine came from the founder of theempires capital, a Greek man named Byzas.


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Byzantine society

Byzantine society was very hierarchical, whichmeant that people lived at different levels of rankand status. At the top of the society was theemperor, who made the major decisions affecting

the empire. He was aided by an inner circle ofadvisers and bureaucrats. There was also aByzantine senate, which prepared laws forapproval by the emperor. Emperors usually chose

their successor, either a son or a trusted adviser.The emperors ruled with the help of a strong andwell-trained army that had as many as 120,000members.


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Clothing of the Byzantine Empire

From the Romans the Byzantines inherited

their basic clothing forms, the tunic and toga

for men, and the stola, a type of long dress, for

women, as well as their shoes and theirhairstyles.


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Stola

The stola was the basic garment worn by

women during the years of the Byzantine

Empire (4761453 C.E.). The stola was a long

dress, sewn along both sides from the hem atthe bottom all the way to the arms. The stola

was usually worn with a belt placed just below

the bustline. Typically made of linen or lightwool, the stola also could be made of silk, the

fabric preferred by the very wealthy.


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Headwear of the Byzantine Empire

Like so much of their costume tradition, the Byzantinesinherited their basic hairstyles and forms of headwear fromthe Romans who preceded them in ruling theMediterranean world. Men tended to wear their hair shortand cut straight across the forehead in what is today known

as the Caesar cut, named after the Roman general andstatesman Julius Caesar (10044 B.C.E.). Women wore theirhair quite long and tended to braid or pile it on top of theirhead in a variety of different fashions. They might use pinsor a ribbon to hold their hair in place. There wasnt one

typical Byzantine hairstyle for women, but instead a varietyof ways of curling, twisting, and molding hair in pleasingways.


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Footwear of the Byzantine Empire

Very little is known about Byzantine footwear since

the long draped clothing of the Byzantines, which

reached to the floor, tended to hide the feet. The

sculptures and paintings that have survived offer usjust fleeting glimpses of Byzantine footwear. Much of

what we do know about Byzantine footwear is

dependent on educated guesses based on other

areas of Byzantine life.


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Documents

History of Costumes