Ancient T-Shirts? Yep, The Egyptians Beat Us to that too!
When you think of T-shirts, you might picture modern rap icons in their over-sized white tees, vintage band shirts, or maybe even that one charity shop gem you can’t let go of. But here’s the twist: the idea of the T-shirt is way older than even Cliff Richard, or your favourite vintage throwback. In fact, ancient Egyptians were rocking T-shirts thousands of years ago. No, seriously. Let’s take a little fashion time travel…
The OG: The Tarkhan Dress (aka the 5,000-Year-Old Tee)
Meet the Tarkhan Dress, an elegant linen number pulled from an Egyptian tomb in 1913. After radiocarbon testing, it was dated to around 3482–3102 BC, making it the oldest known ‘t-shirt’ by far at 5,000 years old.
- The Look: Simple T-shape, narrow sleeves, and even a V-neck. Tell me that doesn’t scream minimalist chic.
- The Vibe: Creases at the armpits and elbows show it was actually worn, not just some ceremonial relic. Imagine being the ancient Egyptian who basically invented “chill-wear”.
- Where It’s At: Today, you can check it out at the Petrie Museum at UCL in London. Honestly, it deserves its own runway.
Basically, some ancient Egyptian was strutting around in the world’s first “tee,” 5,000 years ago and we’re still trying to catch up. Egyptians: trendsetters since day one.
The Comeback Kid: The Striped Tunic (1,500 Years Ago)
Fast forward a few millennia to Egypt during the ancient Byzantine era, about 1,500 years ago and boom! Another ancient fashion banger shows up: This time the striped, multi-coloured, half-sleeve tunic.
- The Look: A striped, half-sleeve, multi-coloured tunic. Seriously, it could pass as something from ASOS.
- Details: Made of linen (Egypt’s go-to fabric), with wide armholes and pleats at the elbows for shape. Functional and fly.
- The Vibe: Casual, everyday wear. Basically, the kind of thing you’d throw on to walk the dog on a sunny day without thinking twice.
Picture walking into the workplace wearing this striped number, and a colleague says, “I like your vintage shirt.” You just smile and say: “Thanks, it’s inspired by ancient Egypt.”
So… Fashion Is Basically a Time Loop
Here’s the takeaway: Egyptians were out there inventing the T-shirt aesthetic thousands of years before it went mainstream, and today we’re still obsessed, which makes two things clear:
A) Fashion really does come full cycle, and
B) Your favourite vintage tee has serious ancestors!
It’s not just a case of “what’s old is new again” so to speak. It’s that a good design just refuses to die.
