It is fascinating to compare the articles of King Tut's clothing found in his tomb with the clothing required for a Hebrew priest in chapter 28 of Exodus.
1. Breastpiece
Howard Carter records 7 breast ornaments. For example, item 267k-1: "An open-work breast ornament….A breast ornament in heavy gold work…." The color scheme is gold. A second example is item 267a-1: "Breast ornament….A breast ornament of gold inlaid in cloisonné fashion…. The gold under surface of the ornament is chased and has a horizontal loop for suspension, which was probably by means of a cord with tassels." The color scheme is gold. Note in particular the reference to a "cord".
Exodus 28: 22: "On the breastpiece make braided chains of corded work in pure gold."
2. Ephod/shawl
Howard Carter records 26 shawls in Tut's tomb. For example, item 269c: "a fine cambric-like linen shawl". ("Cambric" is a fine thin white linen.) Another example is 21p: "Garment or shawl, decorated with daisies in gold & faience." Faience is similar to colored glass, and its most usual color is blue. As stated at http://www.thebeadsite.com/BB-FA.html: "The glaze of faience, being glass, can be colored. This was done especially in the Armarna Period, when the heretic monotheist Akhenaten was Pharaoh." Note the likely color scheme of this second item: gold and blue trim.
Exodus 28: 4-5: "…[F]or consecrating him to serve Me as priest[, t]hese are the vestments they are to make: …an ephod….[which] shall receive the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and the fine linen."
3. Robe
Howard Carter records 11 robes in King Tut's tomb. For example, 21d(11): "Ceremonial robe, elaborately decorated with beadwork and gold sequins. … Border band of tiny glass disc beads, of white, green, yellow, red & blue, arranged in patterns & threaded criss-cross." Note the woven work, and that the color scheme includes gold and red and blue. A second example is 367j-1: "A sleeved robe of fine plain linen, having auxiliary tapestry-woven fabric and open needlework ornament. …The colours of the ornament (tapestry-woven) are difficult to discern exactly, but red, possibly green, blue, and possibly black, were present." Note the woven work, and that the color scheme includes red and blue, and a dark color that might have been purple.
Exodus 28: 31, 33: "You shall make the robe of the ephod of pure blue. …On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the hem, with bells of gold between them all around…."
4. Fringed tunic
Howard Carter records three garments with fringe. Items 50f are as follows: "(1) Shawl, fringed at either end. …(2) Similar shawl, one end fringed, other finished with a thin cord."
Exodus 28: 39: "You shall make the fringed tunic of fine linen."
5. Linen head covering
Howard Carter's notes: "[A] skull-cap of fine cambric-like linen, worked upon which an elaborate uraei device in minute blue and red glass and gold beads. …In the centre of each uraeus (4 in number) are cartouches of thin gold of 'Aten'…." Note the color scheme: blue and red and gold.
Exodus 28: 39, 5: "You shall make the headdress of fine linen…[and it] shall receive the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and the fine linen." (Note: Ezekiel 21: 31 (or 21: 26) clarifies that the "headdress" is something like a skullcap, in that a Babylonian king would wear a crown on top of the "headdress"/"diadem". There is no settled view of the origin of the Hebrew skull cap/kippah.)
6. Sash/girdle
Howard Carter records three girdles. Item 256l: "Girdle of sheet gold…. Position: Abdomen; round upper part of hips, i.e. waist." Item 256ee is similar: "Girdle of sheet gold…. Position: Abdomen; around waist, slightly higher on the right side than left."
Exodus 28: 39: "You shall make the sash of embroidered work."
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I do not claim that these 6 items are identical. But one could well argue that the Hebrew priestly garments seem to have been influenced by Amarna. Fringed garments, with the predominant color scheme being gold and blue, with some crimson thrown in, an ephod/shawl, and a mandatory linen skull cap.
Presumably the garments buried in Tut's tomb, a mere 10 years after Akhenaten's death, were heavily influenced by Akhenaten, especially since 80% of the items in the burial chamber of Tut's tomb were items originally intended for other people, namely people who were older than Tut and had been contemporaries of Akhenaten.
If an early Hebrew was there, at Amarna, taking mental notes of the garb of the most powerful man (Akhenaten) on the face of the earth, and the only monotheist in the world prior to the common era, other than the Hebrews themselves, then centuries later when the Book of Exodus was composed, one might expect the Hebrew priestly garments to bear this uncanny resemblance to the garments in Tut's tomb.
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Yes and you would also be fascinated to know about the toga-like wardrobe of various West African peoples as well as the Roman-like garb of Nilotic peoples like the Masai. Posts: 26302 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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