Dress of common men—­Dress of men of the upper classes—­ Treatment of the hair and beard—­Male ornaments—­Supposed priestly costume—­Ordinary dress of women—­Arrangement of their hair—­Female ornaments—­Necklaces—­Bracelets—­Ear- rings—­Ornaments for the hair—­Toilet pins—­Buckles—­A Phoenician lady’s toilet table—­Freedom enjoyed by Phoenician women—­Active habits of the men—­Curious agate ornament—­Use in furniture of bronze and ivory.

The dress of the Phoenician men, especially of those belonging to the lower orders, consisted, for the most part, of a single close-fitting tunic, which reached from the waist to a little above the knee.[0121] The material was probably either linen or cotton, and the simple garment was perfectly plain and unornamented, like the common shenti of the Egyptians.  On the head was generally worn a cap of one kind or another, sometimes round, more often conical, occasionally shaped like a helmet.  The conical head-dresses seem to have often ended in a sort of top-knot or button, which recalls the head-dress of a Chinese Mandarin.

Where the men were of higher rank, the shenti was ornamented.  It was patterned, and parted towards the two sides, while a richly adorned lappet, terminating in uraei, fell down in front.[0122] The girdle, from which it depended, was also patterned, and the shenti thus arranged was sometimes a not inelegant garment.  In addition to the shenti, it was common among the upper classes to wear over the bust and shoulders a close-fitting tunic with short sleeves,[0123] like a modern “jersey;” and sometimes two garments were worn, an inner robe descending to the feet, and an outer blouse or shirt, with sleeves reaching to the elbow.[0124] Occasionally, instead of this outer blouse, the man of rank has a mantle thrown over the left shoulder, which falls about him in folds that are sufficiently graceful.[0125] The conical cap with a top-knot is, with persons of this class, the almost universal head-dress.

Great attention seems to have been paid to the hair and beard.  Where no cap is worn, the hair clings closely to the head in a wavy compact mass, escaping however from below the wreath or diadem, which supplies the place of a cap, in one or two rows of crisp, rounded curls.[0126] The beard has mostly a strong resemblance to that affected by the Assyrians, and familiar to us from their sculptures.  It is arranged in three, four, or five rows of small tight curls,[0127] and extends from ear to ear around the cheeks and chin.  Sometimes, however, in lieu of the many rows, we find one row only, the beard falling in tresses, which are curled at the extremity.[0128] There is no indication of the Phoenicians having cultivated mustachios.