Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

else a tunic and pants of varying length
(male burials). The pants had a waistband
tunnel made for inserting tape or string to
draw together excess material and tie after
putting on. Occasionally, this part with the
tunnel was sown onto the rest of the pants.
The tunic is a simple garment as a rule —
two rectangles of cloth sown together leav-
ing an opening for the head. The neckline
was usually of "bateau" shape with a slit in
front, closed with color buttons of linen
(tunic from T. 95). The tunic from T. 121
is different, having in front a kind of flap
that was more ornamental than functional.
Tunic sleeves could be short, three-quarters
long (e.g. tunic from T. 108) or wrist-
length (tunic from T. 107). They could be
even longer, covering the hands, as in the
case of the garment from T. 122, which
was put on top of another tunic, both
reaching the ankles. It does not seem like-
ly that these garments had served their
owner in life, clearly such long sleeves
could not have been very practical.
A complete child's tunic was found in
T. 79- (Fig. I.) It had a rather frayed slit
down the back with no evidence of any


Fig. 2. Cap (Nd. 99080)
(Photo W. Godlewski)

kind of fastening. Other parts of the gar-
ment were finished finely enough, includ-
ing a trimming around the neckline and
a linen lining. Under the armpits, where
the side gusset seams meet, there is chain
embroidery in orange-colored silk. It is
practically invisible in this position, hence
it was probably not meant as an ornament,
but rather as a means of reinforcing a part
of the dress that is easily torn.
An outer garment that was found in
T. 49 is a kind of caftan with short sleeves
and an open front without a fastening. It
was decorated with inserts of a blue white-
striped fabric. The caftan had been worn on
top of a long cream-colored linen tunic.
A small piece of linen with blue stripes on
a cream-colored background wrapped the
head, which was additionally protected
with a cream-colored linen cap. (Fig. 2.)
Caps of fundamentally the same shape were
found in other burials as well (e.g. T. 79, T.
88, T. 48). What made them different was
the decoration. Some were completely
plain, others were quilted so that the
thread created an ornamental design, still
others bore fine embroidery or had blue-
colored triangular inserts sewed in.
Probably one of the oldest burials dis-
covered this season at Naqlun, T. 127 on
Site A, yielded three pieces of a "pillow"
covering the branches found under the
head, three pieces of a shawl wrapping the
head and two sections of a shroud covering
the body. All the textiles were richly deco-
rated.
The "pillow" was made of linen and
silk. (Fig. 3.) Too fragmentary for the orig-
inal size to be reconstructed, it was proba-
bly sown together from two identical
pieces. The silk parts were made in tapes-
try weave. They form the ornament com-
prising rows of date palms, hares in medal-
lions in a heraldic composition, a cat-like
creature also in a medallion, finally wavy

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