Jewish costume - history and influences

Abstract

Along with dwellings, furniture, tools, arms and other appliances for everyday use, garments and ornaments are integral parts of the material culture of a nation. The costume is an ethnic feature which is on one hand directly conditioned by the climate, and on the other hand, it is indirectly influenced by other forms of the existing cultural system. Besides its basic protective function, clothing has always been a status symbol through which religious views, as well as traditional and social relations, have been reflected. Clothes have also been a reliable indicator of the community's attitude toward outside influences and their aesthetic ideals. According to archaeological findings, preserved engravings and Biblical testimonies, Jewish garments of the Talmudic times were of simple shapes and did not differ from those worn by the neighbouring nations living in the countries within the same climatic zone. The basic garments were known as: the simlah or salmah, the ezor and the kethoneth.