The ancient Egyptians may have created some of the most mind-bogglingly complex and intricate monuments known to man, but when it came to clothing, they kept it remarkably simple. Ancient Egyptian traditional clothes were made from locally sourced materials and were surprisingly egalitarian, with women mostly wearing the same clothes as men. There were, however, exceptions and the most elite members of Egyptian society showed remarkable style and fashion.

For the ancient Egyptians, they kept their clothing to a bare minimum . Given the heat of Egypt, this was quite clever. In fact, if you were a child you didn’t wear any clothes for most of the year. For the adults, however, their clothes were made from locally sourced cotton or linen. Some farmers also made their clothes from the hides of their livestock. Clothing was most commonly made from linen, given the abundance of flax (used to make linen) growing along the Nile. Linen is a light, breathable material that is comfortable to wear in intense heat.

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For the everyday, lower-class Egyptians of the Early Dynastic Period (3150 – 2613 BC) and the Old Kingdom (2613 – 2181 BC), men and women wore the exact same clothing. The depictions of men and women from this period show a knee-length white kilt-like garment, held up by a belt. The rest of their bodies were left bare, although some people wore sandals made of straw. The wealthier men would wear the same clothing but made with even lighter linen.

Read more: Ancient Origins