Art and Culture: Sumerian and Assyrian Clothing and
Jewelry
One of the many ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia were the Sumerians, who existed
from around 4100 to 2300 BCE. The Sumerians used wool to make their clothes and in
ancient Mesopotamia, wool was made by spinning and weaving the wool hundreds and
thousands of times. Sumerians went on to invent the concept of industrial-scale
weaving. In the beginning of Sumerian civilization, skirts were made out of sheepskin,
and were worn by men as well as women. They were wraparound skirts from the length
of the waist to the knee. If you were in a high position in society, these wraparound
dresses would be from the length of the waist to the ankles. If you were from a low
position, they would be short skirts. Sumerians wore skirts decorated with fringe or
pieces of fabric cut in a petal shape. In addition, women would wear a shawl to cover
their bodies.
Around 2500 BCE, the Sumerians replaced sheepskin with woven woolen materials and
wore long cloaks, headcoverings, and undergarments. These pieces of clothing were
made of wool and leather. Big wigs were also very popular in the Sumerian civilization
and were worn by either gender. Jewelry was also worn by both genders. Sumerians
first created jewelry around 2750 BCE. The materials they used included copper, gold,
silver, and electrum. They also made more fancy jewelry out of gemstones like agate,
carnelian, chalcedony, crystal, jasper, and lapis lazuli, as well as pearls and shells. All
of these materials were used to make complex designs like stars, rosettes, leaves,
grapes, cones, spirals and ribbons. Men wore necklaces, headbands, earrings, and
armlets. Women not only wore all of those types of jewelry, but also rings, belts,
chokers, and headdresses. In conclusion, Sumerians began wearing wraparound skirts
and shawls made from sheepskin, then evolved into mantles with materials like wool.
They also created beautiful and complicated pieces of jewelry, worn by both men and
women.
One of the many civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia were the Assyrians. They existed
from around 1900 BCE to 609 BCE. In ancient Mesopotamia, it was very popular to
wear two fringed garments, the tunic and the shawl. Fringed or tassel shawls were worn
by both men and women and were worn around their waists and above their shoulders.
A belt held the shawl in a strict position. A little bit after 1000 BCE, men started to wear
tunics with short sleeves underneath. They were worn to the knees and had a round
neckline. The undergarment, underwear, was worn by using a short skirt for women;
men wore loincloths. A loincloth is a skirt-like cloth shaped rectangularly around the
hips. Woolen cloaks were also worn, but only by men with respected positions of power.
They wore woolen cloaks with colors like blue, red, purple, or white. These vibrant
colors were usually seen in wool clothing. Decorations were very popular in Assyrian
costumes. The Assyrians used decorations like patterns, borders, and ornaments. As a
matter of fact, an Assyrian tradition is to put ornaments around the kings. In addition to
wool, the Assyrians also used other fabrics such as linen, cotton, leather, and papyrus.
Cotton only began to be used in 700 BCE, when the king Sennacherib introduced the
material to the Assyrians. Animal fur and skin also were used, but usually for military
and hunting costumes. Sandals were the most popular shoes in the Assyrian Empire.
When the Sargon kings of the Assyrian empire ruled, high boots were popular, and
buskins were popular during Sennacherib’s empire. Buskins were an open-toed laced
boot that reached your knees and which were made with materials such as leather or
cloth. Jewelry was very significant in the Assyrian empire as well, and we know this
partly because we have records that show that when the Assyrian kings conquered the
Elamites of Susa, Assyrian soldiers stole all of their jewelry. Amulets, earrings, and
bracelets were worn by men and women. They would make earrings in the shapes of
cones, crescents, hoops, and human and animal heads. The Assyrians also used hair
dye, perfume, and oils. In conclusion, people in the Assyrian Empire wore many
accessories and clothes like the loincloth, shawls, tunics, and woolen cloaks.
By Reese Miller
