“You are what you wear” — clothes revealed social identities in ancient times such as they do today. To describe ways of dressing typically encountered in ancient Near Eastern visual sources, we developped a simple vocabulary differentiating between skirts, robes and tunics. Skirts and robes have a long and a short variant, as well as an open form unveiling the lower leg when in motion. Wrap-around shawls and coats can add to these standard forms. The kinds of textiles/cloths used for these garments range from plain to patterned, and flounced to pleated.
We differentiate the following kinds of clothing: