Ancient Egyptian Costume Suggestions

[Sin_Stalker]

Hi. 

 

If this isn't the right section for this, please let me know and I will repost there or request for the thread to be moved.

 

So I am making a CoH comic with screen shots. I've made a few before but not since CoH was murdered. I almost have my next issue done but there is a scene that I could use some help/ideas with. It takes place in ancient Egypt and I am struggling to get the costume to look right (not to mention the throne room but that's for another post).

 

I am out of practice using the CoH costume creator. I had also posted way back in the day about underwater creatures and got a lot of help back then. So I am hoping there are some who may want to help share some ideas for ancient Egyptian costumes. Time period is purposely vague but I am thinking around the second dynasty. Before or at the time of the oldest pyramid found yet. But sticking to time period specific garb isn't that important given the limitations of the costumes available. 

 

Characters:

Pharaoh,

Pharaoh's daughter,

Pharaoh's Viceroy (think Jafar from the animated Aladdin),

Various Pharaoh's guards (generic but I need one guard to be slightly unique since he has a main part),

A servant or two.

 

Right now, everything I make looks about the same (pharaoh, guards, etc) or they don't look Egyptian. Appreciate any suggestions or advise.

[Luminara]

Archaeology, specifically ancient Egyptian archaeology, is one of my life-long interests, so this happens to be a topic I've already researched.

 

Clothing was made of linen, so natural near-white colors in the beige through yellow range would be appropriate.  The higher you go on the social hierarchy, the more likely you will find color, but that color would be ochre, umber and blue, colors available to them, used strictly as ornamentation.  Splashes here and there, not monotone.  No blacks, no deep, dark colors.  Light colors were more comfortable in their environment (hot and humid).

 

The basic style of dress in the First through Eighteenth Dynasties tended to be a simple wrap around the waist, the shenti or shendyt, for men and women.  The Talons skirt is actually an excellent match for that.  Some, those of lower station, didn't wear any more than that, and slaves were typically naked.  Not sure if there's an equivalent skirt for males in the game, but it won't hurt to look.

 

Nudity wasn't frowned upon in that society, so many womens' clothing styles left the breasts exposed, but they were also made to cover the breasts, so we can work with that.  One type of women's dress, the kalasiris, was little more than a long tube of fabric, held up by a strap over one shoulder, sometimes two.  Another was... basically like fishnet shirts, but they hung down to the calves or ankles.  You'll want the shenti on the lower body, since we don't have fishnet skirts.  The sleeved garments left the shoulders exposed (and sometimes the breasts).  Some lighter, more sheer weaves were sometimes worn by women of higher station (Desire and Disco are good examples of this.  Frost is a good substitute for fishnet, Mesh isn't because it covers the arms).

 

When you reach the pharaoh, it becomes a bit easier.  Most ancient Egyptians spurned animal skins and textiles (wool), but pharaohs would wear them, leopard skins for instance, as a sign of their prowess and station.  They were also the most clothed.  Clothing itself was an indicator of wealth and power, and none was more powerful than the pharaoh, so they dressed accordingly.  Also, bear in mind that some pharaohs were women, but they dressed like men (Hatshepsut routinely appeared in court and public wearing all of the traditionally male accoutrements of her station, and was bare-chested, as they would have been, to give one example).

 

The nemes, the striped headdress we have in the game, was common for all Egyptians.  Those who didn't wear them either wore wigs or were bald.  They routinely shaved their heads to control lice and remain more comfortable in the heat.  Egyptians of higher station wore wigs, made with their own hair, hair from other people, and sometimes palm fibers as a substitute or supplement, in social situations.  The wigs weren't elaborate, generally straight, shoulder-length, with bangs.  The pharaoh would've worn various crowns, culminating with the famous double crown (which displayed their rulership over Upper and Lower Egypt), but we don't have that.  Don't sweat it, just use hair, the nemes or go bald.  Bald was the default setting for that culture, and we happen to have that in-game.

 

Jewelry was very common.  Gold was easily obtainable, silver was rare.  Rings, bracelets, armlets and necklaces of all types are on the menu, go haywire, but make most of it gold.  For jewels, lapis lazuli, turquoise and amethyst were frequently used, but really, any shiny or pretty rock was satisfactory.  Some jewels weren't even jewels, they were glazing (the same thing that makes pottery and ceramics shiny and colorful), so you can go any way you want for that.  They even made jewelry out of flint, and had gold finger and toe covers, like finger cots (those little condom-like things you put on your fingers when you're not using gloves, but need to keep a surface clean or protect your fingers), so there's not much you can't do with it in the game.  Pile it on, they loved the stuff.

 

Make-up was heavily used by both genders.  Blacks and greens for the eyes, red for the lips.

 

Footwear was seldom worn.  They spent most of their time barefoot.  When they did wear something, it was a simple sandal.  I think the Roman Sandals work well as a substitute, even if they aren't historically accurate for that period and culture.  At least you'll have toes.

 

Once you leave the Eighteenth Dynasty, you're looking more at Roman and Greek styles, intermingled with traditional Egyptian.  The toga can be used without concern for historical accuracy from that point on.

 

I'd lean heavily on the Talons skirt for both genders, and go from there.  If your characters are exclusively male, they can all be bare-chested with varying amounts of jewelry to indicate their stations, with an animal print cape/cloak/bolero for the pharaoh.  If female, go with as close to topless as you can for the lower stations, something light and diaphanous for the middle station, then back to topless for the pharaoh, but throw a dead animal's skin on her.  Fishnet top with Talons skirt would also work for females.

 

Just keep it simple, don't go crazy with color and remember the climate they lived in, and you should be able to cobble together plenty of fitting costumes.

 

👍

[Rudra]

Holy hells....

 

*copies and pastes elsewhere for future reference*

[Sin_Stalker]

1 hour ago, Luminara said:

Archaeology, specifically ancient Egyptian archaeology, is one of my life-long interests, so this happens to be a topic I've already researched.

 

Clothing was made of linen, so natural near-white colors in the beige through yellow range would be appropriate.  The higher you go on the social hierarchy, the more likely you will find color, but that color would be ochre, umber and blue, colors available to them, used strictly as ornamentation.  Splashes here and there, not monotone.  No blacks, no deep, dark colors.  Light colors were more comfortable in their environment (hot and humid).

 

The basic style of dress in the First through Eighteenth Dynasties tended to be a simple wrap around the waist, the shenti or shendyt, for men and women.  The Talons skirt is actually an excellent match for that.  Some, those of lower station, didn't wear any more than that, and slaves were typically naked.  Not sure if there's an equivalent skirt for males in the game, but it won't hurt to look.

 

Nudity wasn't frowned upon in that society, so many womens' clothing styles left the breasts exposed, but they were also made to cover the breasts, so we can work with that.  One type of women's dress, the kalasiris, was little more than a long tube of fabric, held up by a strap over one shoulder, sometimes two.  Another was... basically like fishnet shirts, but they hung down to the calves or ankles.  You'll want the shenti on the lower body, since we don't have fishnet skirts.  The sleeved garments left the shoulders exposed (and sometimes the breasts).  Some lighter, more sheer weaves were sometimes worn by women of higher station (Desire and Disco are good examples of this.  Frost is a good substitute for fishnet, Mesh isn't because it covers the arms).

 

When you reach the pharaoh, it becomes a bit easier.  Most ancient Egyptians spurned animal skins and textiles (wool), but pharaohs would wear them, leopard skins for instance, as a sign of their prowess and station.  They were also the most clothed.  Clothing itself was an indicator of wealth and power, and none was more powerful than the pharaoh, so they dressed accordingly.  Also, bear in mind that some pharaohs were women, but they dressed like men (Hatshepsut routinely appeared in court and public wearing all of the traditionally male accoutrements of her station, and was bare-chested, as they would have been, to give one example).

 

The nemes, the striped headdress we have in the game, was common for all Egyptians.  Those who didn't wear them either wore wigs or were bald.  They routinely shaved their heads to control lice and remain more comfortable in the heat.  Egyptians of higher station wore wigs, made with their own hair, hair from other people, and sometimes palm fibers as a substitute or supplement, in social situations.  The wigs weren't elaborate, generally straight, shoulder-length, with bangs.  The pharaoh would've worn various crowns, culminating with the famous double crown (which displayed their rulership over Upper and Lower Egypt), but we don't have that.  Don't sweat it, just use hair, the nemes or go bald.  Bald was the default setting for that culture, and we happen to have that in-game.

 

Jewelry was very common.  Gold was easily obtainable, silver was rare.  Rings, bracelets, armlets and necklaces of all types are on the menu, go haywire, but make most of it gold.  For jewels, lapis lazuli, turquoise and amethyst were frequently used, but really, any shiny or pretty rock was satisfactory.  Some jewels weren't even jewels, they were glazing (the same thing that makes pottery and ceramics shiny and colorful), so you can go any way you want for that.  They even made jewelry out of flint, and had gold finger and toe covers, like finger cots (those little condom-like things you put on your fingers when you're not using gloves, but need to keep a surface clean or protect your fingers), so there's not much you can't do with it in the game.  Pile it on, they loved the stuff.

 

Make-up was heavily used by both genders.  Blacks and greens for the eyes, red for the lips.

 

Footwear was seldom worn.  They spent most of their time barefoot.  When they did wear something, it was a simple sandal.  I think the Roman Sandals work well as a substitute, even if they aren't historically accurate for that period and culture.  At least you'll have toes.

 

Once you leave the Eighteenth Dynasty, you're looking more at Roman and Greek styles, intermingled with traditional Egyptian.  The toga can be used without concern for historical accuracy from that point on.

 

I'd lean heavily on the Talons skirt for both genders, and go from there.  If your characters are exclusively male, they can all be bare-chested with varying amounts of jewelry to indicate their stations, with an animal print cape/cloak/bolero for the pharaoh.  If female, go with as close to topless as you can for the lower stations, something light and diaphanous for the middle station, then back to topless for the pharaoh, but throw a dead animal's skin on her.  Fishnet top with Talons skirt would also work for females.

 

Just keep it simple, don't go crazy with color and remember the climate they lived in, and you should be able to cobble together plenty of fitting costumes.

 

👍

 

 

This is very helpful. Especially for the hair.

 

I had figured the Egyptian hat we have ingame would only be for the pharaoh, like a crown. But apparently it is a normal hat for anyone during that time? That may make it easier when designing the guards. I can give them that. I'll also need to google egyptian crowns, since it isn't what I had assumed.

 

Thank you very much for the help.

[Sin_Stalker]

Given what was stated and relooking at some of my reference photos I came up with the following. Would appreciate feedback of all sorts. I am most dissatisfied with the Pharaoh's daughter top half. So I'd especially love suggestions on improving that.

 

Pharaoh Tests: (Phar 1, 2, 3, 4)

 

Pharaoh's Daughter Tests: (daughter 1, 2)

 

 

Guard tests: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Edited February 25, 2022 by Sin_Stalker

[Luminara]

6 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

I had figured the Egyptian hat we have ingame would only be for the pharaoh, like a crown. But apparently it is a normal hat for anyone during that time?

 

As I said, both genders shaved their heads, as it was both more comfortable in the heat and more hygienic.  Decoration of the head was symbolic of station.  Starting at the bottom, practically everyone was bald.  As a family or individual accrued power or wealth, he/she donned accordingly more elaborate head gear.  The nemes was less expensive than a fine wig, and could be made at home, as it was simply cloth folded and pleated, and was the more common headdress in the lower stations.  As we move up to the middle stations, women would typically change to a human hair wig, because owning and wearing one displayed their wealth.  Some middle station men wore wigs, some stuck with the nemes, some didn't bother with either.  Just below the pharaoh, head adornments were fairly represented by all of the options.

 

The pharaoh him/herself was always bald, like everyone else.  During public appearances, ritual appearances, in court and when discussing matters of state, the pharaoh wore the sekhemti, the royal crown with which we're most familiar.  In his/her private time, he/she eschewed headgear or wore a wig.

 

I should note that there was another type of "hat" which was also common, the khat, which was just a cloth wrapped around the head (not turban-like, a simple wrap with one or two passes) and left hanging loose at the back.  Like a really long handkerchief.  But we don't have anything like that (the Bridal option is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long), so it's not pertinent to this.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_ancient_Egypt

 

Because of the climate, clothing wasn't a good choice for representing one's station in ancient Egypt.  And with gold's abundance, jewelry didn't signify wealth or power the same way it did in other cultures.  So they used headwear.  George Carlin had a great skit about hats, about how the richer people were, the bigger their hats were.  That was actually true of ancient Egyptians, because it was one of the few ways they could show where they ranked in the social structure.  That was also part of the reason they used make-up, a display of wealth and power.  The poor might be limited to crushed charcoal or cheap kohl, the wealthy had a broader range of colors and applied them liberally.

 

6 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

I'll also need to google egyptian crowns, since it isn't what I had assumed.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowns_of_Egypt

 

The crown we all know and think of is the second to the last, the sekhemti.  That crown was the result of Upper and Lower Egypt becoming one under the pharaoh.  Upper Egypt's ruler originally used the hedjet, whereas Lower Egypt's ruler wore the deshret.  When the first pharaoh (Menes) united the two states into a single nation, he merged the crowns to symbolize that unity.  The golden snake (uraeus) and vulture were totemic adornments further representing each state and connecting the pharaoh further with the pantheon (the pharaoh him/herself being the living embodiment of one or more of the deities).

 

So we have three crowns right there, but from a historical perspective, the crown of ancient Egypt was the sekhemti, as that was when the First Dynasty began.

 

There's also the khepresh, a crown worn during combat or certain ceremonial observations.  And the wives of the pharaoh wore a crown specific to their station, the vulture crown, which was similar to the nemes, but adorned with vulture feathers and fashioned to look like a perching vulture.  And there were a few other crowns, like the atef (Osiris' crown).

 

We're talking about a culture which spanned millennia, during which they were the power in the region and were the dominant culture, so they had quite a bit of time to come up with variations.  Some did their own thing.  Ahkenaten (careful going down that rabbit hole, you'll be lost for days), for example, dispensed with the sekhemti and typically wore a simple skullcap or circlet with the uraeus, symbolizing his break with the established pantheon and association with the Aten.

 

Since this is a combat-oriented game, you'd want the khepresh, which was blue, bulbous, slightly winged and adorned with the uraeus.  A solid blue nemes would be a close enough approximation for that, since the nemes in this game does have a uraeus.

[Luminara]

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Pharaoh Tests: (Phar 1, 2, 3, 4)

 

Those are all good.  I'd recommend 3, with solid blue on the nemes, and maybe a second costume slot adding the cape.

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Pharaoh's Daughter Tests: (daughter 1, 2)

 

I'd go with Strange for the hair, and add the Barbarian armlets (shoulder option), but lose the cape.  While the pharaoh's daughter might also be one of the royal wives (yes, they did that), unless she ascended the throne (yes, they did that, too), she wouldn't be wearing animal skin.  Great job putting together the top and bottom, that's a great interpretation of the kalasiris!

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Guard tests: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

 

3-7 are all good.  Most soldiers didn't wear armor, they went into battle wearing the shenti and not much else.  Charioteers would've relied on the chariot to guard their lower body and carried a shield (bronze), or had a simple leather guard protecting the chest (not a full chest piece, but not a bandolier, either).  The pharaoh would've worn scale armor (leather and bronze) and ridden in a chariot (they purportedly did fight, though, so it wasn't just for show).  Most of the Egyptian soldiers were archers, for close combat they wielded spears and the kopesh.  All of that is generalized, you understand.  We are talking about condensing over 3000 years of culture into a single idea, so we're pulling from a lot of different periods.

 

That kilt is an excellent choice.  They didn't have polearms, though, and we don't have spears... but for a pharaoh's guards, I believe the Mystical staff would be reasonable.  The appearance is suggestive of a sun rising and the wings of a bird, so we can draw connections to Ra, Osiris, Amun and Horus, and make a fair claim of verisimilitude.

[Sin_Stalker]

4 hours ago, Luminara said:

 

Those are all good.  I'd recommend 3, with solid blue on the nemes, and maybe a second costume slot adding the cape.

 

Pharaoh Test: (5, 6)

I think I am going to avoid the animal fur. It is too flat and will probably just obscure screen shots.

 

4 hours ago, Luminara said:

I'd go with Strange for the hair, and add the Barbarian armlets (shoulder option), but lose the cape.  While the pharaoh's daughter might also be one of the royal wives (yes, they did that), unless she ascended the throne (yes, they did that, too), she wouldn't be wearing animal skin.  Great job putting together the top and bottom, that's a great interpretation of the kalasiris!

Tried a few other things. Strange clips into the character model more than I like, so I'll probably have her wear something on her head or be bald.

 

Pharaoh's Daughter: (3, 4, 5, 6)

 

 

4 hours ago, Luminara said:

That kilt is an excellent choice.

Which kilt? Is the Scottish kilt or the chainmail kilt better?

 

Guards: (8, 9)

 

 

 

Viceroy/mage Test: ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Sin_Stalker

[Luminara]

You're straying into darker colors.  That's perfectly fine, this is a video game, not time travel to ancient Egypt.  Here's what natural linen looks like, though.

 

 

That would be the base color for almost everything they wore.  Again, we're not talking about putting on clothes and wandering around in Egypt circa 2400 BC, so it's not really that important, but I did want to note it.

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Pharaoh Test: (5, 6)

 

5 is really good.  If the uraeus can be colored gold without tinting anything else, you want to do that, but otherwise, that's about as accurate a model for a pharaoh you'll likely manage with the tools we have available.

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Pharaoh's Daughter: (3, 4, 5, 6)

 

I'm favoring 4 in that series.  That top is an even better match for the skirt than the leather top was, and the looseness of the fabric is a better representation of linen (it's never tight, tends to sag and wrinkle).  I think adding the nemes to that one would be smashing, but it still works without it, and if your other Egyptians are wearing nemes, you might enjoy the change of pace.

 

It's a damn shame we can't do the neck chain and the armlets.  I run into that restriction sometimes, it's one of the few things that makes me abandon concepts.

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Which kilt? Is the Scottish kilt or the chainmail kilt better?

 

Guards: (8, 9)

 

Scottish.

 

I think 9 looks great, but I'd brighten up the globe on the staff.  It's a sun symbol, it should be golden and shiny.

 

2 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Viceroy/mage Test: ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

 

Only children 6 and under would have hair (as a side-lock, a ponytail on one side of the head, not in the back).  But, again, these are your characters and I'm not going to go find an archaeologist to hunt you down and shout at you.  It's probably going to be very boring if you play all of them with nemes or cue balls, so I understand wanting to change it up a bit.

So, magic in ancient Egypt.  There actually was a god of magic, Heka, and Egyptians did use magic in rituals, funerary rites, ceremonies and observation of important dates and events.  But there weren't any magicians.  It was the priests and priestesses of various gods and goddesses who filled that role.  And the priesthoods in ancient Egypt were, politically and financially, powerful, just one step below the pharaoh, and they dressed accordingly.

 

But we're going to ignore that.  We're not going to dig through six hundred costume options for this, because the Egyptian pantheon has handed us a ready solution.

 

Give your mage a god/goddess to worship, and stick the corresponding animal head on him!  A bird head for Horus, for example, or cat head for Bastet, or a canine head for Anubis, to list a few examples.  Your mage isn't actually transformed into the embodiment of the god/goddess, because that would intrude on the pharaoh's divine right (the penalty for which would invariably be death), but he can have an animal head on as a prop, both to indicate that he's paying obeisance to his god, and to convince the god to give him magic.

 

Also, priestesses were just a common as priests, there was no gender barrier in their religion, so you could use this as an opportunity to recycle some of the pharaoh's daughter designs (all of which have been very good).  Stick an animal head on her and give her a god/goddess to worship!

[Vanden]

I would just give every character the pharaoh hood and only show every character from the neck or shoulders up. Then, include lines of dialog that explain that the flashback is happening inside a flooded basement, with chest-deep water, and everyone is wearing the pharaoh’s spare headdresses to keep them dry while they look for the big plug in a hole in the floor that’ll drain out all the water when they pull it.

[Sin_Stalker]

I wish male characters had makeup options....

 

5 hours ago, Luminara said:

You're straying into darker colors.  That's perfectly fine, this is a video game, not time travel to ancient Egypt.  Here's what natural linen looks like, though.

 

 

 

I feel tone deaf but with colors. I've been bouncing back and forth at what looks closest to that color. It will look right right away but then two seconds later look wrong.

 

Which is more linen looking in color? Even after I post my top two options for linen, they both look wrong five minutes later. One looks too yellow and the other too white. 

Guard: (10, 11)

 

5 hours ago, Luminara said:

5 is really good.  If the uraeus can be colored gold without tinting anything else, you want to do that, but otherwise, that's about as accurate a model for a pharaoh you'll likely manage with the tools we have available.

 

I wish but it only goes with the colors of one of the stripes. Wish the editor have options for three color layouts rather than only being two. The kilt is another example. That pouch in front is something I wish I could color differently than the rest of the kilt.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Luminara said:

I'm favoring 4 in that series.  That top is an even better match for the skirt than the leather top was, and the looseness of the fabric is a better representation of linen (it's never tight, tends to sag and wrinkle).  I think adding the nemes to that one would be smashing, but it still works without it, and if your other Egyptians are wearing nemes, you might enjoy the change of pace.

 

It's a damn shame we can't do the neck chain and the armlets.  I run into that restriction sometimes, it's one of the few things that makes me abandon concepts.

 

Yeah, I have been meaning to design these characters for a long time, but stuff like that makes me abandon and procrastinate making it. For a time I was considering drawing the entire thing.

 

Daughter: (7)

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Luminara said:

Only children 6 and under would have hair (as a side-lock, a ponytail on one side of the head, not in the back).  But, again, these are your characters and I'm not going to go find an archaeologist to hunt you down and shout at you.  It's probably going to be very boring if you play all of them with nemes or cue balls, so I understand wanting to change it up a bit.

So, magic in ancient Egypt.  There actually was a god of magic, Heka, and Egyptians did use magic in rituals, funerary rites, ceremonies and observation of important dates and events.  But there weren't any magicians.  It was the priests and priestesses of various gods and goddesses who filled that role.  And the priesthoods in ancient Egypt were, politically and financially, powerful, just one step below the pharaoh, and they dressed accordingly.

 

But we're going to ignore that.  We're not going to dig through six hundred costume options for this, because the Egyptian pantheon has handed us a ready solution.

 

Give your mage a god/goddess to worship, and stick the corresponding animal head on him!  A bird head for Horus, for example, or cat head for Bastet, or a canine head for Anubis, to list a few examples.  Your mage isn't actually transformed into the embodiment of the god/goddess, because that would intrude on the pharaoh's divine right (the penalty for which would invariably be death), but he can have an animal head on as a prop, both to indicate that he's paying obeisance to his god, and to convince the god to give him magic.

 

Also, priestesses were just a common as priests, there was no gender barrier in their religion, so you could use this as an opportunity to recycle some of the pharaoh's daughter designs (all of which have been very good).  Stick an animal head on her and give her a god/goddess to worship!

 

That is a good idea, but one I can't really use. The issue starts off with this flashback and after/through the issue you think the purpose of the flashback was to follow this resurrected guard in present day fighting an even magic user. But at the end I reveal the bad guy is that mage. So I need their heads to end up being close to the same.

Also his magic is supposed to be more forbidden, as he is attempting to overthrow the Pharaoh and rule himself. Although none of this is really known in this issue, but if/when I get to my later issues where this is revisited, it would be shown then.

 

What about tattoo colors? I would have assumed henna to be used but that wouldn't make sense if they didn't have reddish clothing. So I am guessing it has to be the same colors as the clothing they would dye? The ochre, umber and blue you mentioned in the first reply?

 

Viceroy: (6, 7)

 

These are also look a great deal better than what I was designing on my own after reading from wikipedia. For example, here was an early viceroy designed a few months ago. I think now he looks more Indian, like Mauryan, than Egyptian lol. 

 

[Luminara]

8 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Which is more linen looking in color? Even after I post my top two options for linen, they both look wrong five minutes later. One looks too yellow and the other too white. 

Guard: (10, 11)

 

It's okay to go with other light colors, the Egyptians did have various dyes from sources such as berries, roots and minerals ground into powder and mixed with fats.  What's important is how the dyed fabric would interact with sunlight.  Light colors reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat, and that's crucial in a desert climate.  A deep brown or red, on the other hand, would absorb heat, cause the wearer to sweat more and lead to dehydration and exhaustion.

 

11 is definitely closer to true linen than 10, but 10 wouldn't be physically debilitating, so if you like the yellow, use it.

 

8 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Wish the editor have options for three color layouts rather than only being two. The kilt is another example. That pouch in front is something I wish I could color differently than the rest of the kilt.

 

I'm poking around in the costume creator, and I'm seeing that the Black Knight 1 belt (Clean) completely covers the pouch (as long as you're not taking up-skirt shots), and is metallic, so it'll take a fairly golden color in one channel and allow you to add a splash of color in the other channel.  There's a little clipping in combat stance, but not a horrific amount.

 

I also played around a bit with Chest Details and noticed that the Imperial Dynasty detail has a great look on bare chests.  I think that would work for pharaonic adornment, or an acceptable substitute for the scale chest armor I mentioned charioteers using earlier.

 

8 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Daughter: (7)

 

That looks fantastic.  The belt really adds an excellent touch.

 

8 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

The issue starts off with this flashback and after/through the issue you think the purpose of the flashback was to follow this resurrected guard in present day fighting an even magic user. But at the end I reveal the bad guy is that mage. So I need their heads to end up being close to the same.

Also his magic is supposed to be more forbidden, as he is attempting to overthrow the Pharaoh and rule himself.

 

Something similar to that actually happened several times.  At various points between Dynasties, power vacuums occurred.  A pharaoh would die without an heir, or the heir would be too young to rule, or lack the ability to retain power, or just die before reaching maturity, and being so close to the throne, a high priest would step in as regent, or take the throne him/herself.

 

And at least once, a pharaoh turned the tables on the priesthood.  Akhenaten packed up all of his stuff, ordered the people of Thebes to follow him into the desert, and built a new capitol from which to rule, Amarna.  He cast down the entire pantheon and proclaimed a single god, the Aten, and left the priesthoods of the other gods standing with their dicks in their hands in Thebes.

They were, understandably, furious.  Wealth in ancient Egypt was measured in arable, fertile land and the people to farm on it, so when Akhenaten turned his back on the old gods, he was also denying the priesthoods the people needed to plant, tend and harvest crops in their nomes, effectively rendering them paupers.

 

After he died, worship of the Aten declined, and his son, the new pharaoh, was convinced to return to Thebes and re-institute worship of the old gods.  Amarna was abandoned, Akhenaten's works torn down and recycled into other projects, and almost everything bearing his name destroyed (ancient Egyptians believed that not only did the soul go on to live after death, but also that one's name was just as important in keeping the soul alive.  to have one's name scratched out was to consign the soul to destruction).

 

You might recognize the name of that son.  Tutankhamun.  Yeah, that Tutankhamun.

 

Oh, and Akhenaten's wife?  Nefertiti.  Uh huh.  That Nefertiti.

 

This is why I've spent 40+ years reading about this stuff.  Tom Clancy, eat your heart out.

 

9 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

What about tattoo colors?

 

I'd completely forgotten we have that option!  Use it!

 

9 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

I would have assumed henna to be used but that wouldn't make sense if they didn't have reddish clothing. So I am guessing it has to be the same colors as the clothing they would dye? The ochre, umber and blue you mentioned in the first reply?

 

Using tattoos as make-up, you'll want blacks, greens and reds.  Black and green were used interchangeably, symbolizing life, and both colors were used for eye make-up (black on the upper eyelids, green on the lower).  They made black make-up by crushing charcoal or galena to powder and mixing it with fat.  Greens were made with malachite, again, crushed and mixed with fat.  Red rouge and lip paint was made the same way with red clay.  We know they had lapis lazuli and used it extensively in murals, statuary and glazes, and it can be mixed with fat just as easily, so there's nothing really stopping you from throwing some blues in, too.

 

10 hours ago, Sin_Stalker said:

Viceroy: (6, 7)

 

7 is definitely working.  👍

[GM Tempest]

Please keep it civil, or your sweetroll privileges will be revoked.

[srmalloy]

Don't forget the use of chalk and white lead compounds to lighten the skin, showing your status in that you didn't have to work outside in the sun and get tan (the same thing was done in China and Japan), so picking lighter skin tones is acceptable.

[Sin_Stalker]

13 hours ago, GM Tempest said:

Please keep it civil, or your sweetroll privileges will be revoked.

What hasn't been civil so far? I am so confused.

[Sin_Stalker]

On 2/26/2022 at 7:00 AM, Luminara said:

 

It's okay to go with other light colors, the Egyptians did have various dyes from sources such as berries, roots and minerals ground into powder and mixed with fats.  What's important is how the dyed fabric would interact with sunlight.  Light colors reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat, and that's crucial in a desert climate.  A deep brown or red, on the other hand, would absorb heat, cause the wearer to sweat more and lead to dehydration and exhaustion.

 

11 is definitely closer to true linen than 10, but 10 wouldn't be physically debilitating, so if you like the yellow, use it.

 

 

I'm poking around in the costume creator, and I'm seeing that the Black Knight 1 belt (Clean) completely covers the pouch (as long as you're not taking up-skirt shots), and is metallic, so it'll take a fairly golden color in one channel and allow you to add a splash of color in the other channel.  There's a little clipping in combat stance, but not a horrific amount.

 

I also played around a bit with Chest Details and noticed that the Imperial Dynasty detail has a great look on bare chests.  I think that would work for pharaonic adornment, or an acceptable substitute for the scale chest armor I mentioned charioteers using earlier.

 

 

That looks fantastic.  The belt really adds an excellent touch.

 

 

Something similar to that actually happened several times.  At various points between Dynasties, power vacuums occurred.  A pharaoh would die without an heir, or the heir would be too young to rule, or lack the ability to retain power, or just die before reaching maturity, and being so close to the throne, a high priest would step in as regent, or take the throne him/herself.

 

And at least once, a pharaoh turned the tables on the priesthood.  Akhenaten packed up all of his stuff, ordered the people of Thebes to follow him into the desert, and built a new capitol from which to rule, Amarna.  He cast down the entire pantheon and proclaimed a single god, the Aten, and left the priesthoods of the other gods standing with their dicks in their hands in Thebes.

They were, understandably, furious.  Wealth in ancient Egypt was measured in arable, fertile land and the people to farm on it, so when Akhenaten turned his back on the old gods, he was also denying the priesthoods the people needed to plant, tend and harvest crops in their nomes, effectively rendering them paupers.

 

After he died, worship of the Aten declined, and his son, the new pharaoh, was convinced to return to Thebes and re-institute worship of the old gods.  Amarna was abandoned, Akhenaten's works torn down and recycled into other projects, and almost everything bearing his name destroyed (ancient Egyptians believed that not only did the soul go on to live after death, but also that one's name was just as important in keeping the soul alive.  to have one's name scratched out was to consign the soul to destruction).

 

You might recognize the name of that son.  Tutankhamun.  Yeah, that Tutankhamun.

 

Oh, and Akhenaten's wife?  Nefertiti.  Uh huh.  That Nefertiti.

 

This is why I've spent 40+ years reading about this stuff.  Tom Clancy, eat your heart out.

 

 

I'd completely forgotten we have that option!  Use it!

 

 

Using tattoos as make-up, you'll want blacks, greens and reds.  Black and green were used interchangeably, symbolizing life, and both colors were used for eye make-up (black on the upper eyelids, green on the lower).  They made black make-up by crushing charcoal or galena to powder and mixing it with fat.  Greens were made with malachite, again, crushed and mixed with fat.  Red rouge and lip paint was made the same way with red clay.  We know they had lapis lazuli and used it extensively in murals, statuary and glazes, and it can be mixed with fat just as easily, so there's nothing really stopping you from throwing some blues in, too.

 

 

7 is definitely working.  👍

 

Thank you again. I like the design now. Been working on it off and on for over a year and never liking the results. I can stop procrastinating finishing the comic now. I owe you.