People of Egypt

In their native deserts, Egyptians wear little clothing. Both men and women base their clothes on simple short-sleeved tunics but, when working outside, may just wear a short skirt or loincloth. Lightweight diaphanous clothing demonstrates wealth, although linen is the most common material. Clothes are rarely dyed though the wealthy have access to rich colours, often favouring greens. In the cooler climes of the Odyssey world the Egyptians wear thicker tunics, or layered cloaks to keep themselves protected from the weather.

Egyptians like jewellery, with wide necklaces particularly archetypal. High status Egyptians wear ornate pieces with bold designs in studded semi-precious stones or lapis lazuli. Even lower status workers wear showy jewellery, though most likely bronze with ornamentation in coloured glass. Pendants or other jewellery with the Ankh symbol, and heavy eye makeup are typical additions.

The cultural armour for Egypt is broad leather bands on the torso. For the poorest of footsoldiers this might be the rough shape of a harness made from three or four bands, or for a more wealthy guard a complex overlapping arrangement.

The cultural shield for Egypt is a wooden or hide shield, broadly rectangular but with tapered top-section. Most Egyptian shields are simple and undecorated, but some might be patterned based on the animal hide used.

Media influences for the look of Egypt are common in film and television. For an epic Hollywood look try Cleopatra (Burton and Taylor) or perhaps one of the biblical epics such as Charlton Heston’s The Ten Commandments. More recent productions, such as HBO’s Rome and The Mummy series of films present a somewhat grittier or more fantastical take respectively. Finally some episodes of the Stargate TV series that show displaced Ancient Egpytians might have looked.