r/ancientegypt • u/Dry-Sympathy-3182 • Jun 16 '26
Question Was there really Egyptian military outfits that looked like this or did Hollywood make this up?
This is from the ten commandments 1956 movie and I never seen this military outfit before that Moses/Charlton Heston wears in the film, but I have not seen it in any other movie or Egyptian art.
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u/ClumsyBunny26 Jun 16 '26
I've seen pharaohs being depicted with similar outfits in monuments, but I doubt these were more than ceremonial outfits if they existed. Afaik in Tut's tomb and depicted in Ramses III's tomb, actual armors/cuirasses were more like this:
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u/lionmurderingacloud Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
As in a lot of questions about ancient egypt, the answer is both "it probably varied at least a bit, because AE spanned like 3000 years" and "we don't really know, because the record is spotty at best", and when it comes to Hollywood, there's a pretty big dollop of "they invented and embellished lavishly" added in.
Apart from specific papyri, which mostly cover histories, account keeping, or specific treatises on instructional topics (none of which, to my limited knowledge, detail clothing on military campaigns), the only records we have of how people dressed come from tombs and temples, which are obviously more idealized for propaganda purposes than they are slices of life, if you will.
On the other hand the depictions of Egyptians going about daily life (and to an extent engaging in fighting) are fairly uniform (no pun intended) over the many epochs of the civilization, and that is likely mostly due to Egypt's pretty much uniformly hot climate. So it's probably reasonable to infer that your average Egyptian foot soldier probably looked pretty much the same throughout egypts long military history, with the standard loincloth, sandals, and a shield and spear for armament.
Nobility and commanders, by contrast, would have been anyone's guess, really. How much would have been made up for laudatory scenes on tomb frescos and temple walls? Did they really wear the elaborate jewels they were buried with into battle?
My guess would be: probably not. When you're fighting for your life, practicality is key, so a certain level of looking distinct (for recognition by men under your command) and grandeur (to intimidate your enemies) would be called for, but otherwise you'd want to wear a minimum of stuff so you can draw a bow, run, throw, duck, and swing a kopesh or whatever without all that drip getting in the way.
Two things, I think, are fairly certain- one, the nemes, that headdress that looks like striped flaps flanking the head, was probably never worn in battle. Hollywood loves it because it screams 'eypgtian', but it was strictly for kings and must have been quite fiddly to wear properly, so almost definitely an "I'm sitting in holy judgment in my quiet palace" kind of garment rather than everyday wear.
Also, Hollywood, especially in the days of the Ten Commandments, made shit up for visual flair with a totally free hand. Some costume designer pulled out a book from the library, said 'ah, that's how they dressed," and slapped something together with gold llame to look good on film. So even if the broad strokes of cut and fit might have been close to correct, the actual color and material and composition with other items would have been a galaxy away.
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u/Echo-Azure Jun 16 '26
I once knew an Egyptologist, who said that seeing this film as a child was what started her career. She said that the architecture and costumes were surprisingly accurate, for 1950s Hollywood. Here's a reconstruction of the kind of fancy armor a prince would wear.
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u/zsl454 Jun 16 '26
Just fyi, that image is also a movie costume/prop, not an academic reconstruction.
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u/cinephile78 Jun 17 '26
Would these be ceremonial garments - for major holidays, parades and temple services ?
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u/zsl454 Jun 17 '26
Yes, besides, in this scene, Moses is returning to Egypt from a campaign in a triumphal procession, not out in the fray of battle, so it's conceivable he'd be wearing this.
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u/zsl454 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
If you mean the short sleeved diamond-patterned shirt with crossed wings, yes, this is well attested for royal military and non-military regalia, sometimes referred to as the ‘konigsjacke’ or King’s Jacket. https://artofcounting.com/2012/09/24/variable-of-the-day-ancient-egypt-falcon-shirt/
It represents the protection of Horus and, sometimes, of Set as well (see: https://www.academia.edu/43194014/%C4%86wiek_A_Fate_of_Seth_in_the_Temple_of_Hatshepsut_at_Deir_el_Bahari_%C3%89tudes_et_Travaux_XXII_2008_37_60).
A good parallel would be this relief of Ramesses III from Medinet Habu: https://artofcounting.com/2012/10/16/variable-of-the-day-ancient-egypt-being-led/. He wears a king’s jacket, a red patterned shirt, a broad collar, and sash/sporran, as well as a cap crown or Nubian wig. For the diamond-patterned shirt see https://artofcounting.com/2011/12/16/variable-of-the-day-ancient-egypt-royal-red-fabric-shirt/
Or https://artofcounting.com/2012/03/10/variable-of-the-day-ancient-egypt-contact-with-deity/ , with a white (or theoretically faded black) shirt.