The mabinogi

read time 3-7 min

all though nowadays most people show off their wealth by buying expensive cars, houses that could be hotels and designer and Luxury goods where you pay more for the name than the quality, that Wasn’t always the case. even just 50 years ago signs of wealth were very different, so i’m going to be exploring signs of wealth from three different places at different time periods.

the celts, 0 bc

starting off just off the coast of north western europe, over 2000 years ago with the celts. perhaps one of the most common things the celts are known for is their Jewelry, and the wealthy adorned Themselves with it, usually in gold. the wealthy traditionally wore thick gold neck rings named torcs, gold hair rings and pins, gold armlets and more, as shown in the pictures down below.

now although each different tribe will have used different items and ways to show off their standing, there is a general consensus that Jewelry was worn in many different tribes, and even the average classes typically wore bronze Jewelry.

the torc seemed to be a very Popular way to show wealth, i mean you can imagine it, someone walking round with a massive ring of gold round their necks Definitely drove through the impression that they were wealthy and of high standing. though it’s good to Remember that torcs aren’t unique to the celts of britain, there have been many found in other countries such as the torc waldalgasheim, which belonged to a celtic princess in germany. torcs were more often than not gold plated, as solid gold would be very heavy and very expensive.

the ancient egyptians

the ancient egyptians, a Civilization that Interests thousands across the world, that inspires films and books and are known for their Gigantic tombs. now although there are many obvious signs of wealth that they Would’ve used to show off, the pyramids for instant, there were smaller things they used to show off their wealth.

one such item was ancient egyptian wigs, a Helpful sun protectant and a way to show you were better than everyone else, the best of both worlds! wigs were worn in ancient egypt by both men and women. one such example is the ever famous cleopatra, who is known for her short braided hair, that just happens to be a wig! usually Womens wigs were a lot less Extravagant than mens, who preferred to be much more Eccentric with their styling.

another way to show off your wealth in ancient egypt was sandals. the more expensive the sandals the more wealthy the person. materials such as papyrus were very common in the making of sandals, and leather was used primarily by the upper classes. but some materials, such as wood, were covered in gold as a way to mark the wealth of the person wearing them. king Tutankhamen actually had a pair of sandals made from papyrus, for everyday wear, and for special occasions a pair of solid gold!

china, qing dynasty

the qing dynasty lasted for over 250 years, so fashion and signs of wealth changed many times during this, but i will make a few paragraphs detailing some trends over the years.

one thing used as a sign of wealth in china during the qing dynasty were phoenix crowns. made popular in the earlier ming dynasty by queens, a phoenix crown was an elaborate Headdress that was mainly worn by wealthy brides. it was made out of many different materials, such as glass, paper or silk.

another sign of wealth during the qing dynasty was the use of silk, a fine fabric that the country Majorly profited off of. silk was often used to trade and farmers even paid their taxes in silk! silk was worn often in courts and Among the royals. many colours were preferred, such as blue or yellow or pink.

if i got anything wrong please don’t hesitate to nicely comment!

sources

history.com, australian.museum, egypt.museum and some others i don’t remember