Pakaian/Aksesori/Senjata/Pengangkutan/Gaya Hidup Masyarakat Melayu Zaman Silam

sephia_liza

Egyptian perfumes [9] were famous throughout the Mediterranean. Pliny describes a perfume which still had its full fragrance after eight years.
    Perfumes were mostly based on plants: the roots, blossoms or leaves of henna, cinnamon, turpentine, iris, lilies, roses, bitter almonds etc. were soaked in oil and sometimes cooked. The essence was extracted by squeezing, and oil was added to produce liquid perfumes, while creams and salves were the result of adding wax or fat. Many perfumes had more than a dozen ingredients.
    During the New Kingdom people were depicted carrying little cones in their hair, which are generally interpreted as having been made of solid perfume. But examinations of wigs and hair have shown little evidence of fatty residue.

Cosmetics
Cosmetics are as old as vanity. In Egypt their use can be traced back almost to the earlist period of which burials have been found, and continues to the present day.

Cleanliness and personal appearance were highly regarded by the ancient Egyptians. For the priests in the service of the gods cleanliness was strictly prescribed. Not only did they have to wash several times a day, but they also had to be clean shaven all over, to keep at bay parasites, such as lice, eggs of which have been found in the hair of mummies. Water was plentiful, but there is little evidence that the ancient Egyptians used natural soaps or tooth powder. In a hot climate deodorants were much in demand. To repel body odour men and women alike were advised to rub pellets of ground carob(?) into the skin, or to place little balls of incense and porridge where limbs met.

Around 1400 BC three ladies of the court of Tuthmosis III were buried with costly royal funerary equipment, which included cosmetics. Two of the jars contained a cleansing cream made of oil and lime. Some prescriptions for body 'scrub' are given in the medical papyri

Unguent vases as found in the tomb of Tutankamon at Thebes
(Egyptian Museum, Cairo)


The 'red natron' was presumably natron tinted by an iron compound in the earth where the natron was extracted.
An allegedly successful remedy to treat wrinkles consisted of': gum of  frankincense I wax I; fresh moringa oil I; cyperus grass I; is ground finely and mixed with fermented plant juice. Apply daily.


A lady wiping her face. Relief of unknown provenance; 11th Dynasty
(British Museum, 1658)

A simple remedy of gum applied to the face after cleansing had a similar effect. If' the skin was marred by scars caused by burning, a special ointment was used to treat them and make them less obvious, as for example red ochre and kohl, ground and mixed with sycamore juice. An alternative treatment was a bandage of carob(?) and honey, or an ointment made of frankincense and honey.
Because of 'their healthy diet and the lack of sugar the Egyptians did not suffer from tooth decay, but their bread contained particles of sand from the grain and grit from the grinding stone, which caused their teeth to become excessively worn No evidence has been recovered to suggest that the Egyptians used a toothbrush in the manner of the miswak, a natural brush-cum-toothpaste from Salvadora  persica, a tree native to southern Egypt and the Sudan. The root has been used for dental care by the Muslims since the days of the Prophet (PPUH). To improve on their breath the Egyptians chewed herbs, or they gargled with milk. Perhaps they also chewed frankincense like their descendants in the last century
As in other civilizations, the appearance of the hair was of paramount importance not only because of the visual effect, but also because of 'the erotic symbolism conventionally conneted with hair. Men and women alike wore wigs made of 'human hair on festive occasions, but they also tried to keep their natural hair in good condition. Jars of what could be compared with 'setting lotion' have been found to contain a mixture of beeswax and resin. These were remedies for problems such as baldness and greying hair. To treat the latter, blood of a black ox or calf was boiled in oil to transfer the blackness of the animal to the greying hair, or the black horn of a gazelle was made into an unguent with oil to prevent grey hairs from appearing. These remedies are slightly more agreeable than another consisting of  putrid donkey's liver steeped in oil, though they all had the same magic effect. A far more efficient remedy would be an ointment made of juniper berries and two unidentified plants kneaded into a paste with oil and heated.  The natural colouring matter in the plants would rub off on the hair, and the astringent properties of juniper stimulate the scalp. In order to make the hair grow, chopped lettuce was placed on a bald patch, if the baldness occurred after an illness, or the head was anointed with equal parts of  fir oil and another oil or fat.
The toilet casket of any man or woman would contain a razor for removing body hair, although a number of  creams were sometimes used for the purpose. One such consisted of the boiled and crushed bones of a bird, mixed with fly dung, oil, sycamore juice, gum, and cucumber; this mixture would be heated and applied, presumably to be pulled off when cold, with the hair adhering to it.
The almond shape of the black Egyptian eyes was underlined by the application of black kohl or green malachite. Eyepaint was also considered as a treatment to cure or prevent eye diseases. A great number of prescriptions deal with preventing ingrowing eyelashes.
To cool the eyes a finely ground green mineral (jasper or serpentine) mixed with water was applied to the lids. Alternative preparations were ground carob(?) and fermented honey, or emmer grains steeped in water overnight. An  eye wash was prepared from ground celery and hemp.
Eyepaint for an overnight treatment made of kohl and goose fat or a paste was mixed from kohl, green eyepaint, lapis lazuli, honey and ochre in equal parts, applied to the lids. The green eyepaint was usually malachite, a green ore of copper; kohl was made of galena, a dark grey ore of lead. It w as kept in lumps in little bags of linen or leather and was ground on a palette to a fine powder. The powder was poured into vases or tube-shaped containers from which it was extracted with a thin stick. It was applied either with the moistened stick, as is done by Egyptian women today, or, for medicinal purposes as quoted above, mixed with some fatty matter.
Malachite was brought to the Nile Valley from the mountainous regions of Sinai, whereas galena was obtained either near Aswan in Upper Egypt or at the Red Sea coast. But both were also imported as luxury commodities from Asia and Arabia. However, no matter which remedy was employed, the Egyptians knew that nothing made the eyes brighter than falling in love: 'Like eyepaint is my desire. When I see you, it makes my eyes sparkle', says a girl in a love poem.
Some Egyptians appear to have dyed their fingernails, but the nature of the red colour used is unknown. It may have been henna. Red was also required to paint the lips. The lip gloss, possibly made of fat with red ochre or with one of the plants used for dyeing, was applied with a brush or spatula. Red colour was used to give glow to the cheeks. A rouge consisting of red ochre and fiat, possibly with a little gull resin, has survived: it was some four thousand years old. Rouge in the form of powder was marketed a few years ago as a product of ancient Egyptian origin. The recipe which inspired the manufacturers was presumably one of those used for the purpose of camouflaging a burn.

sephia_liza

Originally posted by sephia_liza at 3-4-2006 01:06 PM
Ming dynasty (1400's AD) painting by Tang Yin


People in China generally wore tunics (like long t-shirts). Women wore  ...

Chinese bronze objects first appeared about six thousand years ago at the end of the Stone Period and the beginning of the Metal Age. Weapons made of bronze were predominant in China for about four thousand years at which point iron weapons became popular.
Here we show some pictures of ancient bronze weapons which have been excavated in China. Beautiful and historically interesting, they come from different ancient dynasties. Although the earliest of them dates from the Xia Dynasty (2100 BC - 1600 BC), it was during the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1100 BC) that the technology of making bronze weapons was developed to a high level. Bronze weapons of excellent quality were produced throughout the following West Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC - 771 BC), the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) and the Waring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC). Most of the weapons unearthed today come from these time spans. Iron weapons began to appear toward the end of the Warring States Period and quickly came into general use. Both bronze and iron weapons were used during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC), but bronze weapons were soon eclipsed by those of iron. Although bronze was used much earlier than iron, more bronze weapons have been unearthed than iron because bronze decays or rusts much slower than iron when under the earth.



Ge: The most popular Chinese long weapon used in ancient times was the Ge. In the very beginning, people just tied a piece of stone on top of a staff as a weapon. When bronze was used, people made many beautiful Ge heads. In the ancient world, soldiers fought from "fighting wagons" using long weapons. Ge was very useful for this. When rider horse became popular, Ge was obsolete generally. Ge remained in use through the Three Kingdom Period (220 - 265).
Because Ge was the most popular weapon in the ancient, it is common that it means fighting or war. The importance and popularity of Ge are reflected in the Chinese character WU meaning "martial." This character is made up of two parts: one, ZHI, means "stop"; the other, GE, is usually translated as "fighting." "Martial," therefore, means to stop fighting. There a important Chinese idea is that martial arts is not for fighting, is for stop fighting.

The Ge heads shown here came from several different dynasties. Usually, one Ge would have been tied on top of a long staff but occasionally, two or three Ge  heads would be attached to one staff.


Zeng Hou double Ge Ji, Warring States Period,  total long 310cm, unearthed from Hubei province


Tenghao Ge, Spring and Autmn Period,
26cm, unearthed from Shandong province


Taibao Ge, West Zhou, 33cm, unearthed
from Henan province


Dragon grain Ge, Warring States Period,
unearth from Hunan


Shang Dynasty, bride grains Ge length 27.8cm,
unearthed from Henan province


Yan Zhao Wang's Ge, 25.2cm,  Warring
States Period, unearthed from Hebei province  

?@

HangPC2

-mod-

Tolong asing balik macam asal sebab thread sephia berkaitan dengan sejarah dunia thread asal berkaitan alam melayu..

sephia_liza

Originally posted by HangPC2 at 12-4-2006 10:05 AM
-mod-

Tolong asing balik macam asal sebab thread sephia berkaitan dengan sejarah dunia thread asal berkaitan alam melayu..

i don't know why modurator  put my threads in ur threads.....:setuju:

sephia_liza

Originally posted by sephia_liza at 3-4-2006 12:40 PM

Roman men and women, like other Indo-Europeans, originally seem to have worn a large piece of wool, wrapped around themselves.  ...

Roman Lorica Segmenta :- It is believed that Lorica Segmenta was introduced in the ranks of Roman Army during the 1st Century AD. It was widely used at the heights of the Roman Empire. Though it could never replace the mail (Lorica Hamata) and scale armour (Lorica Squamata). For the modern mind Lorica signifies the Roman soldiers. Our Lorica Segmenta is closely copied from Lorica found in Newstead, Scotland, dates from 2 nd Century AD.
Made with 18 Gauge Steel. Supplied with simple polish and with a protective coating of oil/grease/lacquer for more historical authenticity.


Roman Helmet w/Hair w/Steel Strip on top :- This helmet was used by High Rank Officer's in the Roman Army. Made with 18 Gauge Steel.


Celtic Sword :- This Sword was used by the renound Celtic Warriors around 200 B.C. The classic leaf shaped blade is 23 inches long. Around the guard area is a U shaped Steel piece rivetted to the base of the blade. It has a nice wooden grip covered with leather with three Brass rings. The blade tang is bolted to a Solid Brass pommel. Supplied with a Black Leather Scabbard with a Brass ring on the top.
Blade is made of EN 45 High Carbon Tempered Steel.


Roman Gladius Sword :- This Sword was used by Roman soldiers. This Sword has round wooden pommel and wooden hilt. Below the wooden hilt there is a brass piece. This Sword has light weight and was easy to use. Handle is made of wood covered with leather supplied with brown leather scabbard with two Brass Rings. Blade is made of EN 45 High Carbon Tempered Steel.


Celtic Sword :- This sword responds to customer demand created by the popularity of Celtic Reinactment. This Celtic Sword features hilt and pommel made of solid Brass Hardware and with a wooden grip, supplied with a leather sheath. Blade is made of EN 45 High Carbon Tempered Steel.


Roman Sword :- Used by Roman Army. This Sword has Three fullers. First fuller is running on the top section of the blade and other two are running parallel to each other from top to bottom.


The Gladius was the blade that conquered the known world, and changed little from pre-Christian times to the fourth century AD. It's popularity was due to its effectiveness and relatively low production cost, but eventually it gave way to longer blades as steelcraft enabled swords to be made strong enough but light enough to stand the rigours of battle. In its day it was one of the few weapons that wouldn't bend or break when striking metal armour or shield rims. This Gladius comes with an ornate wooden grip and the scabbard has a brass covered mouth and chape.

[ Last edited by  sephia_liza at 15-4-2006 11:45 AM ]

sephia_liza

Macedonian Full size Helmet with griffin crest
Ancient Greek life size helmet from Macedonia
of Alexander the Great
dated 330 B.C.


Corinthian Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from
the Peloponnesian city of Corinth, dated 540 B.C., specially processed with a special archaic patina.


Thespeian Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from the city of Thespeia, member of the Greek force that defeated the Persians,
dated 480 B.C.,
the year of the battle of Thermopylae


Royal Corinthian Full size Helmet with plume
Ancient Greek Royal life size helmet from the the the Peloponnesian city of Corinth
dated 540 B.C.


Royal Spartan Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek Royal life size helmet from the the famous city of Sparta, dated 490 B.C.,
the time of the Persian wars


Spartan Full size Hoplite Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from
the famous city of Sparta, dated 490 B.C.,
the time of the Persian wars


Athenian Full size Officer's Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from Athens,
the cradle of Democracy, dated 440 B.C.,
the time of Pericles


Achilles Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet, from Thessalia.
Reputedly the helmet worn by Achilles at the Trojan war, dated 1100 BC



Olympian Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from Olympia,
home of the ancient Olympic Games,
dated 410 B.C.


Arcadian Full size Helmet with elevated crest
Ancient Greek life size helmet from Arcadia,
in the Pelponnese, dated 550 B.C.


Roman Full size Helmet
Ancient Roman life size helmet
dated 80 B.C.


Thracean Full size Helmet with griffin crest
Ancient Greek life size helmet from Thrace,
in Northern Greece, dated 510 B.C.


Corinthian Full size Helmet
with plume
Ancient Greek life size helmet from
the Peloponnesian city of Corinth, dated 420 B.C.,


Chalkidean Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from
the city of Chalkis, dated 380 B.C


Cretan Full size Helmet
Ancient Greek life size helmet from
the island of Crete, dated 1100 B.C.,
the Minoan era


Delphian Full size Helmet with engraved owl
Ancient Greek life size helmet from the
city of Delphi, home of the famous oracle of Apollo,
dated 440 B.C.

mok_nik

Originally posted by HangPC2 at 12-4-2006 10:05 AM
-mod-

Tolong asing balik macam asal sebab thread sephia berkaitan dengan sejarah dunia thread asal berkaitan alam melayu..

Originally posted by sephia_liza at 12-4-2006 11:58 AM


i don't know why modurator  put my threads in ur threads.....:setuju:

rasional mok nik merged thread ini adalah atas dasar tajuk yang sama, semuanya membincangkan tentang cara hidup yang merangkumi Pakaian/Aksesori/Senjata/Pengangkutan/Gaya Hidup Masyarakat Zaman Silam. Dalam kontek masyarakat silam ini termasuklah tamadun Alam Melayu, Asia Tenggara dan Eropah.

Mok nik rasa tak salah kalau dimerged atas tajuk yang sama cuma tamadun yang berlainan. Senang utk melihat perbezaan dan persamaan cara hidup masyarakat di tamadunb yang berlainan.

sephia_liza

Royal Spartan Cuirass
dated 480 BC


Royal Corinthian Muscle Armour
dated 540 BC


Spartan Leather Cuirass
Made of hardened leather, breast and backplate are adjustable with two straps and buckles at the sides and one at the shoulders.


Greek Armour Belt
Made of leather and brass.


Spartan scaled armour
Adjustable with two straps and buckles at the sides and one at the shoulders.

mok_nik

sephia_liza
tolong bagi link web setiap posting iyer
kita sama-sama beri penghargaan kepada empunya asal artikal

sephia_liza

Originally posted by mok_nik at 15-4-2006 12:05 PM
sephia_liza
tolong bagi link web setiap posting iyer
kita sama-sama beri penghargaan kepada empunya asal artikal

but i like posting picture like this...;)... ok....i will give link every posting..ok

sephia_liza

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/clothing.htm

sephia_liza

Originally posted by sephia_liza at 6-4-2006 11:25 AM



The wealthy did not show there wealth in wearing fancier,  expensive clothing, however they did wear gold jewelry, and there clo ...

sephia_liza

Male/Female

    Men and Women clothes differed from one another.  This is because there were laws that forbid men and women to exchange dress.  We know that their clothes were not identical, but all the evidence suggests that they were much alike in their general design.10

    There are many different sections of the Ancient Hebrew dress.  Some of these parts are the Inner Garment (also known as the tunic or shirt), the Outer Tunic or Robe, the Girdle, the Outer Garment or Mantle, and the Headdress.

    The tunic was a shirt that was worn next to the skin.  It was made out of leather, haircloth, wool, or linen.  Both sexes wore tunics but they was a difference in the style and pattern.11  For men, the tunic came down to the knees and was fastened at the waist by a girdle of leather or cloth.12  Female tunics were very similar to the males, but went down to their ankles.   

    There were and still are two different kinds of girdles.  These girdles are normally either made out of leather, linen, or even sometimes silk.  For the most part, girdles served as pouch to keep money and other things that an individual might need.  It was also used to fasten a man抯 sword to his body.  Hence the girdle was a very important part of a man抯 attire.13

    The outer garment (kesut) also covered one while sleeping and was the final and most important part of one抯 wardrobe.14  The male and female version of the outer garment were also similar but were different in style.  There were also different types of outer garments.  For example, women wore special outwear when they were widowed.15  All outer garments went to right above the ankles and had a hood (women) or ended at the middle of the calf (man).


A drawing of Hebrew Males


A Drawing of Hebrew Females


Civilized (Poor) Female  


Civilized (Poor) Male


A picture of a wealthy male and female

sephia_liza

Ancient Indian garments generally used no stitching, even though Indians did have needles and knew about sewing. Most clothes were ready for wear as soon as they left the loom. The Dhoti, the Scarf or Uttariya, and the Turban, have never really disappeared from any part of India. Likewise, for women, the Dhoti or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta or breast-band for covering the breasts, forms a basic ensemble, and once again consists of garments that do not have to be stitched, the breast-garment being simply fastened in a knot at the back. And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time or, in the alternative, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at the back in the fashion that is still prevalent in large area of India. Indian men and women for these garments in the usually hot Indian climate. - dhoti when he speaks of 'turbans used for trousers', and a kaupina when he is speaking of 'a rag of two fingers' breadth bound over the loins.







Saris with many images of the famous drape. This researcher found about 100 different styles of drape - (Chantal Boulanger: Indian saris - research) See her Illustrated guide to the Indian Art of Draping - especially part 2 which has Families of Saris - and click on the links to see photographs of the many types of saris. Also see her Pictures of India

Bindi (dot on forehead) Traditionally a symbol of marriage (vivaha), but now worn by unmarried women


Both men and women wore ornaments

Gold ornaments are popular because the metal is believed to have the power purify anything it touches. Ornaments of gold and other metals, often combined with precious and semi-precious gems and beads, are popular with both men and women. Most ornaments are common across India, with variations in designs and material depending upon caste, religion, and geography. Gold is the most popular metal because it is believed to have the power to purify whatever it touches. For this reason, some gold ornament is usually worn against the skin at all times. Today ornaments are more popular with women than men, though, as paintings and sculptures attest men were once lavishly adorned too. In fact, the use of ornaments in India dates back to the ancient civilisations at Harrapa and Mohenjodaro. (See pictures of ancient gold and agate ornaments, bangles and rings, and a belt and a necklace and beaded hair ornaments worn by a man of Harrapa.)

gold and agate ornaments

This collection of gold and agate ornaments includes objects found at both Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. At the top are fillets of hammered gold that would have been worn around the forehead.
The other ornaments include bangles, chokers, long pendant necklaces, rings, earrings, conical hair ornaments, and broaches. Such ornaments were never buried with the dead, but were passed on from one generation to the next. These ornaments were hidden under the floors in the homes of wealthy merchants or goldsmiths.

Terra cotta bangles, Mohenjo-daro

Many of the terra cotta bangles were originally painted with black or red designs. Such ornaments are found in the thousands and may have been worn, broken and discarded much as glass bangles are used today throughout the subcontinent.

Bangles.

Two copper/bronze bangles, one from Harappa and the other from Mohenjo-daro. The bangles were made from a round hammered rod bent in a full circle. The space between the ends of the bangle would be pried apart to slip it over the wrist.

Dimensions of left bangle: 6 cm diameter, 0.73 cm thickness
Harappa
National Museum, Karachi, HM 13 710
Dimensions of right bangle: 6.13 cm dia
Mohenjo-daro, DK 3457a
National Museum, Karachi, NMP 51.899, HM 13.809
Mackay 1938: 535, pl. CXXXVI, 60

Necklace or belt, Mohenjo-daro.

Carnelian and copper/bronze necklace or belt. With 42 long bicone carnelian beads, 72 spherical bronze beads, 6 bronze spacer beads, 2 half moon shaped bronze terminals, 2 hollow cylindrical bronze terminals. Hoard No. 2, DK Area, Room 1, House 1, Trench E.

Material: carnelian, bronze
Dimensions: carnelian beads range from 8.22 cm to 12.4 cm length, 0.9 cm max dia.; bronze beads c. .86 cm length, .85 cm dia.; bronze spacer beads 0.2 cm length, 0.63 cm width, 6.2 cm height; bronze moon shaped terminal 3.9 cm length, 0.8 cm thickness, 6.1 cm height; bronze hollow terminal, 2.39 cm length, 1.0 cm max di

Steatite beads

These tiny steatite beads were found in the Harappan cemetery and come from an elaborate hair ornament worn by a male individual. Each bead is less than .01 cm long and less than .01 cm diameter. A human hair is shown to give an idea of the minute size of these beads.

Traditionally, ornaments had economic significance for women. The ornaments given to her at her wedding constituted a daughter's inheritance from her father. Customarily land and other property was divided among the sons, though this no longer holds true. In addition, a bride's ornaments were financial security throughout her life.

Nose pin: More common than a nose ring, both are symbols of purity and marriage, though today many unmarried girls wear this adornment.

Necklace: These are popular across the country among girls and women of all ages. Necklaces are made of a variety of materials, ranging from glass beads to gold and diamonds. One special necklace, however, is the mangalasutra, worn only by married women. It is the Indian equivalent of the western wedding ring. Traditionally a woman wore it during her wedding ceremony and took it off only if her husband died.

sephia_liza

Bangles: Worn on the wrist, bangles are believed to be protective bands and women always wore them as symbolic guards over their husbands. As with other ornaments, bangles today are worn by women of all ages all over India and are made of silver, gold, wood, glass, and plastic, among other materials.
Ear rings: Rings, studs and other ornaments worn in the ears are popular all over the country. In fact, a girl's ears are usually pierced before her first birthday.
Other important ornaments are finger rings, toe rings and anklets. Rings for the fingers are again, of various materials and designs and worn by unmarried and married women. Since
The ring has become a common adornment, it is no longer considered a symbol of marriage
However, toe rings and anklets are still worn mostly by married women. Ornaments for the feet are usually made of silver because gold, being a 'pure' metal, was not supposed to be
worn on the feet. This privilege was given only to women of royal families.
In addition to these ornaments is the 'mangatika' or 'tikli'. This ornament, worn at the top of the forehead in the parting of the hair, is usually a small pendant on the end of a chain
that is clasped to the hair. Although traditionally this ornament was also worn as a symbol of marriage, today it is not so commonly worn even by married women.

Mehendi


Flowers
Showering petals is also a form of blessing, as at the end of the ceremony, when all those present shower the Flowers bride and groom with petals. In the southern part of India, an important part of a woman's toilette is flowers in her hair.
Flowers are considered symbolic of life and happiness and are therefore an important aspect of any worship.


Eye make-up (kohl?)
eyeliner From the time a child is six days old, its mother applies kajal to its eyes and also a small black dot on the forehead to mar the child's beauty. This 'imperfection' is said to protect from evil.


Sindoora
dot on forehead of woman indicating married status, power, protection for her husband. It is applied by the husband as part of wedding ceremony.

sephia_liza

The Mahabharata (the ancient story of battles) was filled with wars. Look at these pictures and tell how wars were fought in ancient India. Which weapons are being used? What is the armor like?

War chariots were important to move the warrior leaders to the battle. Each chariot had a chariot driver.

mace - a weapon like a club

bow and arrow -

a spear -

Sports as Preparation for War
During the era of the Rig - Veda, Ramayana and Mahabharata, men of a certain stature were expected to be good at chariot-racing, archery, military stratagies, swimming, wrestling and hunting.

Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro confirm that during the Indus valley civilization (2500 - 1550 B.C) the weapons involved in war and hunting exercises included the bow and arrow, the dagger, the axe and the mace. These weapons of war, for instance, the javelin (toran) and the discus (chakra), were also, frequently used in the sports arena. Women, too, excelled in sport and the art of self - defence, and were active participants in games like cock - fighting, quail - fighting and ram - fighting.

With the flowering of Buddhism in the country, Indian sport reached the very peak of excellence. Gautam Buddha himself, is said to have been an ace at archery, chariot - racing, horseback riding, and hammer - throwing.

Martial Arts
India has a very long tradition of martial arts. Indeed, the martial arts of China and Japan may have come from India.

The martial arts of Kerala - Kalaripayattu - consists of a series of intricate movements that train the body and mind. The discipline is continually practised and complemented by the Kerala's famous ayurvedic and nature cure techniques.These are believed to have travelled to eastern China, where they inspired the evolution of other martial art forms. 'Verumkai' is the final and most difficult of lessons taught in the kalari. The others are Maithozhil - combat through kicks, Kolathiri - combat using sticks and Angathiri - the use of metal weapons.





Regular Warfare among local chieftains in southeastern India led to the evolution of a special community of warriors called Nairs.The Nairs were bred to be fighters. Some of them were trained like the Samurai as suicide squads. Known as 'Chavers', these warriors would fight their way through an enemy attack in an orgy of death, that astonished even the Portugese in the 16th century.

sephia_liza

http://www.crystalinks.com/romecloth.jpg

sephia_liza

Ancient Times

sephia_liza

The Asuka Period

sephia_liza

A Nara Period Coronation Ceremony

During the eighth century, Chinese civility was not only assimilated, it was reproduced in toto. Japanese tomb murals of the late seventh century could be mistaken for Chinese. The Japanese Court decided that the Chinese had it "right" and they were willing to change anything and everything in order to emulate their big sister to the West. The first step was the establishment of a permanent capital. That's where this period gets it's name:   Nara.

Previously, every time an Emperor died, the capital was relocated. According to the ancient animistic religion of Shinto, death made the area ritually unclean and therefore unsuitable for the new Emperor. So upon the death of an Emperor, the geomancers would scour the country looking for a place that had the right ying-yang balance. Needless to say, the time it took to locate and build a new Imperial capital sometimes exceeded the reign of less healthy Emperors. In 710, all that changed. The Japanese were so anxious to copy all the brilliant Chinese ideas that they decided a permanent Imperial capital was in their future. The geomancers were dispatched and they found Nara.

Far from being a permanent capital, Nara only held the seat of Imperial power for 74 years. But it wasn't the death of an Emperor that caused this move. It was the haunting of an unrestful spirit. A high number of natural disasters in the eight century lead to the belief that the soul of an unhappy courtier was haunting the new capital and it was necessary to move. The amount of influential Buddhist monasteries who were gaining political power with the Imperial family also prompted a move. But while it lasted, Nara was the seat of the Japanese Imperial Court and copied the Chinese as if they were her colony.

Back to clothing... In 718, the Yoro Clothing Code instituted clothing restrictions wholly influenced by China and explicitly based upon the official Tang codes. The Yoro Code specified that all robes should be crossed left over right, like the Chinese. The Chinese considered right over left a sign of barbarism because it is easier for right-handed people to wrap them this way. Easy, apparently, was not chic. This left over right rule has been the convention of kimono wrapping ever since.






Two Nara period courtiers and a Court official


the agekubi neckline

Kimono's earliest documentable ancestor appears at this time. This is also the era of divergence between male and female garments. Men continued to wear the round-necked, narrow-sleeved style of the Sui dynasty, while women adopted the cross-over neckline of the Tang ladies. They also began to wear their skirts in Tang fashion, over their robes rather than under. These male- and female-style robes were referred to as agekubi (high neck) and tarikubi (lap-over neck), respectively. The difference between these two styles was not arbitrary, of course. Agekubi, with its narrow sleeves, round neckline and auxiliary pants, is believed to be a Northern style, originating among horse riders in the plains, where the Sui originated. Tarikubi, with its wide sleeves and bathrobe-style overlap requiring a sash, is thought to be a Southern costume, arising from the Han peoples. This difference in China was not only a matter of North versus South. The division came to be one of soldier and sage. Military men worn the Agekubi (for obvious, practical reasons) and scholars donned the flowing Tarikubi. The distinction in Japan, however, continued to be based on gender. There is one exception to this statement. The Emperor of Japan, on occasions of the highest ceremony, wore the Agekubi style. On occasions of less import, even he wore Tarikubi (unless he were a she, which he (she) often was). Interestingly enough, although the Emperor and Empress of today wear ancient "kimono" at high state occasions, the costume of the Emperor is decidedly Agekubi in style, called uenoginu, upper-robe. This change occurred in the 11th century, freezing the Agekubi style until the present day. In contrast, the female garment continued to change and transform itself into what we call "kimono" today. Soon the Japanese court would close its doors to Chinese influence and develop the Tarikubi into its own costume


an embroidery showing Nara Period dress on a man and woman



Jidai Matsuri reenactors dressed as Nara period ladies



The beloved Prince Shotoku (tall man in left picture) and some ladies of the Nara period