Get Chic With This Quiz on Ancient Fashions

Purple was an important color in ancient Rome, with laws specifying that only the emperor could wear a solid purple toga. Tyrian purple was named after the Phoenician city of Tyre, where the dye was first made, and it was considered the very best purple dye. It was made by crushing sea snails, and tens of thousands of snails were needed to stain one piece of cloth, making it more valuable than gold by weight.

The ancient Greeks were no strangers to makeup, using eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush to enhance their looks. The English word “cosmetics” comes from the Greek “kosmetike,” which roughly translates as “the art of adornment” and derives from “kosmos,” meaning “order.” The Greeks were also known to use hair dye to lighten and darken their locks.

During public ceremonies, high-status Maya people would wear elaborate costumes with feathered headdresses and animal-skin cloaks. Clothes made from the skins of dangerous animals such as jaguars were especially prized, as they represented the power of the person wearing them. In day-to-day life, most ordinary Maya wore simple loincloths made from plant fibers.

Flax was grown by farmers across ancient Egypt and then woven to create a fine linen. Most ordinary Egyptians wore loincloths or short kilts, which were simple and practical. Upper-class people also wore kilts, and they sported knee-length shirts as well. Many Egyptians wore sandals made from papyrus or other vegetable fibers.

Ötzi the iceman, a natural mummy dating back more than 5,000 years, was discovered in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, and his naturally mummified state has told researchers a great deal about ancient Europeans. The clothes worn by Ötzi were made from tree bark, braided grass, and animal hides: He wore leather leggings, a long coat made from sheep and goat hide, tree bark shoes, and a hat made from bear skin.

The world’s oldest known shoe is a cowhide leather moccasin, discovered in a cave in Armenia. The shoe is around 5,500 years old and was preserved by being buried in grass and sheep’s dung. Researchers think the shoe is roughly equivalent to a modern woman’s size 7, though it is unclear if it belonged to a man or woman.

For Plains Indians — Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies — to be given a feather from a golden eagle was a sign of great respect and indicated bravery, such as in battle. Most warriors might receive just three eagle feathers in their entire lifetime. Headdresses or war bonnets made from many eagle feathers were usually reserved only for those held in the highest regard, such as important spiritual or political leaders.

The earliest known pair of pants were uncovered in western China and date back to 1000 BCE. The pants were made from multiple panels of wool stitched together. Researchers suggest that pants were first developed alongside the domestication of the horse, as a more functional article of clothing for horseback riding.

Torcs have been found all across northern Europe and especially Britain, where they were a high-status item during the Iron Age. These metal necklaces were worn by both men and women and are most closely associated with Celtic people. Great craftsmanship was involved in making the torcs from copper, bronze, silver, or gold, and they represented a portable and wearable form of wealth.

The tunic was the basic clothing shape for all ranks of Romans. Ordinary people tended to wear undyed tunics in coarse, dark fabrics, while the wealthy sported fine white tunics. Color was important to the Romans, and various shades were used as accents on the white tunics to indicate high status.

Silk, linen, and wool are all ancient natural textiles that have been worked and woven into cloth for thousands of years. Rayon, however, was developed in the late 19th century as an artificial version of silk. Organic matter rarely survives in the archaeological record, but the earliest textiles, made from vegetable fibers, were discovered in Eurasia and date from the sixth or seventh millennium BCE.

Jade has been carved and worked by the Chinese since the Neolithic period (roughly 3000 to 2000 BCE). In Chinese culture, jade has long been associated with purity and morality, and is regarded as of greater value than any other gemstone or precious metal. Jade was made into ritual objects and worn as jewelry, and continues to hold great cultural significance in China today.

Ponchos have been worn in South America for centuries. They originated in the Andes and were traditionally made from brightly colored hand-loomed cloth. Ponchos are generally rectangular in shape with a hole in the middle for the head to go through, and can either be worn hanging down in a square shape, or rotated to form a triangular point at the front.

In ancient Egypt, both men and women used kohl to enhance their eyes. The black eyeliner is made from galena, a lead sulfide mixed with water or oil, and archaeologists trace its usage back to 3100 BCE. The ancient Egyptians also used a number of other cosmetics, such as green malachite, which was crushed and used as eyeshadow, and red ochre, used to color the cheeks.

Clothing was an important signifier in ancient Roman society, and none more so than the toga. This large draped piece of cloth was adopted from the Etruscans, but became emblematic of Roman style. Only male citizens of Rome were allowed to wear the toga; women, foreigners, and enslaved people were banned from donning it, and exiles from Rome were required to surrender their toga.