1. The shameless trend of complete nudity
The Nile River, stretching for thousands of miles, resembles a winding silver chain, slowly flowing from south to north across the vast Sahara Desert
On both banks of this river of life, fields of wheat, cotton, flax, and date palms are abundant. The periodically flooding waters nourish the arid land while bringing fertile silt, allowing the barren desert to burst forth with boundless vitality, forming a green corridor
Approximately five thousand years ago, in this fertile green corridor, the great and mysterious ancient Egyptian civilization quietly emerged
With the comics "Daughter of the Nile" and "The Sky is the Red River Bank" becoming beloved classics among young girls, the theme of traveling back to ancient Egypt has also become a significant trend in the online literature community. In recent years, numerous writing enthusiasts have created many exquisite works set against the backdrop of ancient Egypt.
So, when it comes to ancient Egypt, what is usually the first impression that comes to mind for everyone
The vast and boundless golden desert, the lush green oases, the azure expanse of the Mediterranean; the nurturing Nile River, the towering and majestic pyramids, the ancient temples shrouded in mystery, the spirited young pharaoh, ... the alluring and seductive priestess, the eerie and terrifying mummies, the lethally venomous cobras, the jackal-headed god Anubis ...! ... At first glance, it seems quite spectacular! The alluring and seductive priestess, the eerie and terrifying mummies, the lethally venomous cobras, the jackal-headed god Anubis ...! ... At first glance, it seems quite spectacular!
In that case, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Let us follow in the footsteps of the brave predecessors, Carol and Xili, and traverse the long span of three to four thousand years to explore the fascinating and bizarre world of ancient Egypt
Thus, the clothing of ancient Egyptians was essentially equivalent to modern formal wear and uniforms, worn in public settings to signify status. As for casual wear and undergarments... At that time, the price of fabric was astonishingly high; even a simple loincloth (similar to the modern sumo wrestler's mawashi) was considered a valuable possession. Moreover, women's tube dresses, which required more fabric, were indispensable and the most valuable part of a girl's dowry, akin to the modern "three essentials for marriage." It was quite fortunate for an ordinary family to possess a single good garment—this led to the unfortunate reality that most people had to go about naked.
As for having the Egyptian dancers wear translucent and vibrant veils while performing belly dance with their faces covered... this at the very least occurred during the era of Roman Empire rule, or perhaps even later, after the Arab invasions.
Indeed, if one were to traverse to a noble family in ancient Egypt, one might be quite fortunate to behold such sights. To avoid damaging their expensive garments, the maidservants of noble families typically worked in the nude, only donning clothing during outings, festivals, or formal banquets. Moreover, they often wrapped only their waists, leaving their breasts exposed. To conserve fabric, some women, like men, wore only short skirts or loincloths. For instance, several renowned female pharaohs in history frequently appeared bare-chested, commanding their subjects in grand halls.
Why must you cast aside your sense of shame
Therefore, the ancient Egyptian nobility did not prefer to travel in the nude, not out of a sense of shame, but to maintain their dignity—much like how modern wealthy individuals feel compelled to travel in luxury cars and wear high-end fashion when attending balls.
From the upper nobility to the common people, the clothing of the Egyptians can essentially be categorized into two types: men wore short skirts while bare-chested, and women wore strapless, low-cut tube dresses. The styles were not significantly different, with distinctions only in dyeing, patterns, fabric texture, and gold and silver ornaments.
Moreover, perhaps due to the unfortunate development of the clothing industry, the art of makeup and body painting in ancient Egypt was quite remarkable—using ink to draw eyebrows and outline the corners of the eyes; applying malachite and aluminum ore to create a greenish-gray eye contour; making lipstick from red ochre and oil paste; dyeing nails, palms, and the soles of the feet with powdered flowers; as for the most fashionable ancient Egyptian noblewomen and ladies, they would even paint their breasts gold and their nipples blue—one can imagine that they certainly attended banquets with their chests exposed or even completely nude
One can imagine the scene where Confucius, while reciting "The noble man is open and at ease, while the petty man is always chattering," accidentally exposes himself in public...
Therefore, esteemed travelers who respect the traditions of ancient Egypt, it is best to quickly discard such superfluous things as integrity along with your clothing
However, even so, it would be best for you to take the time to study before crossing over. You should learn how to prevent breast sagging during development when there are no clothes to wear, how to prepare sunscreen using natural herbs from ancient Egypt, and how to weave simple menstrual pads from the abundant reeds along the Nile... I believe this knowledge will be very useful once you arrive there—after all, in ancient Egypt, there were neither sanitary pads nor toilet paper. The so-called papyrus was less like paper and more like a thin plywood, and it was quite expensive, so no one would dare to use it for wiping... I believe this knowledge will be very useful once you arrive there—after all, in ancient Egypt, there were neither sanitary pads nor toilet paper. The so-called papyrus was less like paper and more like a thin plywood, and it was quite expensive, so no one would dare to use it for wiping...
Even if you were to travel back in time as an adult, the attire of ancient Egypt would still be difficult for modern people, especially for the Chinese, to look at directly
It is important to remember that in the perception of the ancient Egyptians, clothing was primarily regarded as an ornament rather than a daily necessity
Moreover, due to the fact that many people were accustomed to traveling in the nude, the ancient Egyptian court surprisingly invented the profession of "intimate area beautician"
Therefore, when the fickle male protagonist is having an affair with the noblewomen of ancient Egypt, he must remember to let her take a good bath first. Otherwise, during their intimate moments, he might unfortunately taste a mouthful of pure, natural, toxic, and harmful minerals, which is certainly not something to be pleased about
As for the typical attire of Egyptian women, it is quite modern in style, known as the "Qunuk"—a sleeveless, form-fitting tube dress with a low neckline and exposed shoulders, which can be either long or short. Sometimes, it may also feature one or two shoulder straps, resembling a simplified version of the modern bar dance low-cut dress.
However, before experiencing the myriad charms of ancient Egypt, you travelers must first cast aside your sense of shame
Moreover, even in adulthood, Egyptians often remained nude at home—during that time, there was no air conditioning, and the indoor environment was stuffy and hot; wearing clothes would quickly lead to them being soaked with sweat. The quality of dyes at that time was also not very good, and colored fabrics would easily fade after being worn for a while.
Therefore, in the interest of frugality, the ancient Egyptians generally wore very little, and sometimes nothing at all, and they never considered nudity to be a shame—young children in ancient Egypt, regardless of gender, ran around the streets completely naked. It was not until they reached their teenage years or got married that they would acquire a linen garment, and even noble families, who were not short of money, were no exception
In this way, in ancient Egyptian society, it was commonplace for people to run naked in the streets, engage in naked transactions in the market, and even attend banquets in the nude, which was not considered shameful. However, while clothing could be optional, amulets were indispensable; otherwise, one would be ridiculed.
Due to the extremely hot and dry climate of ancient Egypt, it was impossible to freeze, and the textile and dyeing techniques of the ancient Egyptian era were still very primitive and underdeveloped. The production was truly tragic, resulting in fabric prices that were outrageously high, with dyed fabrics becoming the exclusive domain of the nobility
Therefore, if one were to strictly apply the background of ancient Egypt to write a romance novel, it would turn into two shameless naked children, playing in the mud by the banks of the Nile while discussing love...! ... It seems quite unappealing!
In the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, children were meant to be naked, and those who wore clothes were considered anomalies
Thus, in the households of the nobility during ancient Egypt, it was indeed common to see groups of young naked women coming and going without any sense of modesty, chatting and laughing as if they were in the sensual scenes captured in adult magazines like "Flower | Flower | Prince"
From the reliefs and murals, it can be seen that those supreme Egyptian pharaohs were merely dressed in a short skirt known as "nugab" or a loincloth, with bare upper bodies, their heads wrapped in headscarves, and adorned with a necklace around their necks. Surprisingly, they wore sandals or flip-flops on their feet. This appearance of the pharaoh always reminds me of the shirtless watermelon vendor downstairs, who wraps a towel around his head.
The price of shoes in ancient Egypt was also quite high, and most people chose to walk barefoot; only the wealthy could afford sandals. As for socks, bras, and underwear, they had not yet been invented in that era, and even trousers did not exist—trousers were originally created by horse-riding nomads, while agricultural peoples initially did not wear them. Even the conservative Chinese only began to wear trousers under their long robes after Zhao Wuling Wang's "Hu Fu Qi She" reform.
As for the lowly Egyptian female slaves and dancers, as well as courtesans, they are generally completely naked, with the only distinction being that dancers and courtesans adorn themselves with some gold and silver ornaments. In a certain sense, ancient Egypt can be seen as a vast celestial camp
Alright, those brave young ladies who wish to travel back to ancient Egypt in search of romantic love, are you prepared to live in the open, completely naked, for at least a decade? — If you are all enthusiasts of nudist camps, then just disregard what I said