Hi

I created this blog as a way to track my progress with the Artemisian Costume Challenge.  If any of you are unfamiliar with historical recreation groups, please bear in mind that this challenge is done in the general context of the Society for Creatice Anachronism and the specific context of the Kingdom of Artemisia.  This is my first attempt at blogging.  Please be patient with me.

My entry to the competition is as follows:

Name (for now)

Einar the Christian

Location

Cote du Ciel

Bio

I joined the SCA in 1991 and I was excited.  I wanted my persona to be something unique and challenging, something no one had ever done for a persona.  I wanted to blow peoples minds with my fresh new research into a culture that no one had ever re-created before.  So I became a viking.  Smart huh?  Well after twenty years I've wised up.  I've realized that re-creating the viking culture is far too popular to be the challenge I'd hoped for.  A thousand years in the past just wasn't enough.  Recently (June 11, 2009) the SCA board of directors clarified corpora to explicitly include history previous to 1600 CE.  So I went back about three and a half millennia.  For the past half year or so I've been studying Egypt.  This  costuming challenge seems like a great way to put what I've learned into practice.

Overall Garment

The costume I am constructing for the challenge is modeled after accounts of royal officials of the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt.  The eighteenth dynasty was a time of rebuilding following the second great collapse of the Egyptian civilization.  They rebuilt the society to such an extent that this dynasty and the following nineteenth dynasty are considered by many scholars to be the height of the Egyptian civilization.  Much of the greatness of Egypt is believed to come from the unity between the pharaoh and his people.  They followed his orders as if he were a god.  This unity became quite visual starting in the eighteenth dynasty.  At that time, royal officials began to wear items which had previously been worn only by the pharaoh.  They looked like him, therefore they represented him.

Skin Layer

The skin layer of this costume will be the primary adornment of all Egyptians: cosmetics.  I plan to make kohl (eyeliner) by hand in as close to the traditional method as I can.  I do plan to leave out all toxic ingredients, replacing them with some equivalent.  This will take some trial and error since I have never worn eye makeup, let alone made it.

Accessory to the Skin Layer

One of the items newly available to royal officials, during this dynasty, was the false beard worn by the pharaoh.  I have patterned my actual living beard after the style of those false beards.  It's been quite interesting.  Since their beards were false, they weren't constrained by the limits of living hair.  And those few among them who actually grew hair were of early north African ethnicity.  Since I am of modern north European ethnicity, this is quite a difference.  My current efforts are only approximately what I'm hoping to accomplish, but it does contribute to the overall look.  I have to train it to the right shape.  When it does lay right, it is very satisfying to see it on me.

Main Garment

The main garment for this costume will be a shenti.   A shenti is a skirt/kilt tied above the hips, which was worn by virtually all Egyptian males who did not go naked.  For many Egyptians this is all they wore.  Shentis varied in length from mid-thigh to ankle length.  Generally they were longer in later dynasties and on wealthier people.  They were almost always made of linen.

Accessory to the Main Garment

Shentis were sometimes worn secured by a belt.  This belt had a trapezoidal tab hanging down in the front.  This tab was quite stiff and often highly decorated.  It was a status symbol since it was so large it would interfere with the ability to do any work, similar to the long sleeves, long pant legs, or long trains seen throughout the world.

“Outer” Garment

In the eighteenth dynasty a short tunic was sometimes added to the ensemble of a wealthy Egyptian.  Such a tunic would usually be close fitting and have short sleeves to mid bicep.  They are often portrayed as light colored with a gold band around the bicep.

Additional Outer Garment

A robe of thin cloth was sometimes worn for warmth or ceremonial occasions.  Such a robe was generally a large rectangle with a hole in the middle for the head.  The sides could be either open like a poncho or sewn shut.  The robe could be worn alone or belted with a wide sash.

Other Accessories

One of the items allowed to royal officials at the time was the nemes head scarf.  This is part of the royal headdress seen on numerous images of pharaohs.  Such images include the Sphinx, the burial mask of Tutankhamen, and the giant statues of Ramses at his temple at Abu Simbel.  The royal headdress included the nemes, a gold band across the brow from ear to ear, and the heads of a cobra (uraeus) and vulture.  While the cobra and vulture remained exclusive to the pharaoh, the nemes and gold band were worn by many royal officials.

Collars were another accessory Egyptians often wore.  They could be made of metal, stone, faience (a non-clay self glazing ceramic), glass or other materials.  I have some red coral tube beads which I may use for the collar.  Though faience production sounds fascinating, so I may learn to make that for this project.

Egyptian footwear, when they did wear it, generally included sandals or slippers.  They could be made of woven reeds, cloth, or leather.  I haven’t decided yet what I will make for footwear, but since this costume will be worn in January in northern Utah, there will be footwear.

Note on Materials

Linen was the fabric most commonly used by the Egyptians.  Wool was used, as was leather.  But since they were animal products they were culturally viewed as unclean and were never worn in temples.  The taboo on animal products seems to have been relaxed for the wealthy.  Since the SCA follows the assumption that everyone is from the noble class, I might use animal products where I feel the need.

Novice Statement

I have made many leather items.  So I'm not a novice there.  I've also done metal shaping and made glass beads.  I'm not a novice with those.  But I've never made cloth clothing, cosmetics, faience, or shaped stone.  So for those items I am definitely a novice.  While I have woven baskets, I've never woven reed sandals.  I'd say I'm a novice at that.