990 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



folded SO that three of the corners hang down over the neck and 

 shoulders, leaving the face exposed, and bound round the head by a 

 cord, and it is probable that in ancient time the head was protected in 

 a similar manner. For the protection of the feet sandals were worn, 

 consisting of leather soles fastened to the foot by means of thongs. 

 Shoes seem to have been worn by women for ornamental purposes.' 



Woman's costume of Baodad, Mesopotamia. — The costume of 

 women was essentially similar to that of men. There was sufficient dif- 

 ference, however, to mark the sex, and it was strictly forbidden to a 

 woman to wear "that which i>ertaineth unto a man" and to a man "to 

 put on a woman's garment" simlah? The difference, probably, con- 

 sisted chiefly in the outer garment. That of woman is called Mitpahath,^ 

 ma'atdfah^'^ both designating a kind of wrapper or shawl. There are 

 mentioned besides ga'if^^ probably a garment of light, gauzy material, 

 radid,^ a similar robe, pethigil,' explained to denote a wrap of some sort 

 or a girdle. 



Syrian coat. — Called in Syriac Ahba. It consists of red cloth 

 embroidered in white and is worn as an outer garment. 



Silver necklace ( Hebrew, J^wa^). (See plate 11, fig. 1.) Necklaces, 

 like many other ornaments, were worn by both sexes.^ They consisted 

 of a single band or chain, or of a series of ornaments, as pearls or pieces 

 of corals, strung together.^ The custom of wearing a necklace is figura- 

 tively referred to in Proverbs i, 9 : " For they shall be a chaplet of grace 

 unto thy head and chains about thy neck." Animals ridden by kings 

 were decorated with collars of i)recious metals,'" and it is still the custom 

 in the East to decorate riding beasts in this way. 



Silver anklets (Hebrew, Akasim). (See plate 11, fig. 4.) Anklets 

 worn by women as ornaments are mentioned in Isaiah iii, 16, 18. Frpm 

 these passages it would seem that the tinkling produced by knocking 

 the anklets against each other was their chief attraction. To increase 

 the sound, pebbles were sometimes inclosed in them. They were also 

 worn by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Eomans, and are still gen- 

 eral in India and in Africa. They were sometimes connected by the 

 "anklet chains"" (Hebrew, Ce'adah), which compelled those who wore 

 them to take short, mincing steps. 



Gold nose ring (Hebrew, iVe^em). (See plate 11, fig. 3.) The Hebrew 



' Ezekiel xvi, 10 ; Canticles vii, 2. Compare Judith x, 4 ; xvi, 9. 



-Deuteronomy xxii, 5. 



3 Ruth iii, 15; Isaiah iii, 22, 



^ Isaiah iii, 22; English versions, "mantle, shawl," 



■"^Genesis xxiv, 65; English versions, "veil," 



6 Isaiah iii, 23; Canticles v, 7. 



' Idem, iii, 24. 



* Genesis xli, 42; Daniel v, 29. 



» Canticles i, 10; iv, 9. 



'".Tudges viii, 26. 



" They are referred to in Isaiah iii, 20. 



