Persons of the humbler laboring class wear no ornament, neither armlet, bracelet, nor earrings.  Armlets and bracelets mark high rank, and indeed are rarely found unless the wearer is either an officer of the court, or at any rate a personage of some consideration.  Earrings seem to have descended lower.  They are worn by the attendants on sportsmen, by musicians, by cavalry soldiers, and even occasionally by foot soldiers.  In this last case they are seldom more than a simple ring, which may have been of bronze or of bone.  In other cases the ring mostly supports a long pendant.

[Illustration:  PLATE 135]

Men of rank appear to have worn commonly a long fringed robe reaching nearly to the feet.  The sleeves were short, only just covering the shoulder.  Down to the waist, the dress closely fitted the form, resembling, so far, a modern jersey; below this there was a slight expansion, but still the scantiness of the robe is very remarkable.  It had no folds, and must have greatly interfered with the free play of the limbs, rendering rapid movements almost impossible.  A belt or girdle confined it at the waist, which was always patterned, sometimes elaborately. [PLATE CXXXV., Fig. 1.] If a sword was carried, as was frequently the case, it was suspended, nearly in a horizontal position, by a belt over the left shoulder, to which it was attached by a ring, or rings, in the sheath.  There is often great elegance in these cross-belts, which look as if they were embroidered with pearls or beads. [PLATE CXXXV., Fig. 2.] Fillets, earrings, armlets, and (in most instances) bracelets were also worn by Assyrians of the upper classes.  The armlets are commonly simple bands, twisted round the arm once or twice, and often overlapping’ at the ends, which are plain, not ornamented. [PLATE CXXXV., Fig.] The bracelets are of slighter construction; their ends do not meet; they would seem to have been of thin metal, and sufficiently elastic to be slipped over the hand on to the wrist, which they then fitted closely.  Generally they were quite plain; but sometimes, like the royal bracelets, they bore in their centre a rosette.  Sandals, or in the later times shoes, completed the ordinary costume of the Assyrian “gentleman.”

Sometimes both the girdle round the waist, and the cross-belt, which was often worn without a sword, were deeply fringed, the two fringes falling one over the other, and covering the whole body from the chest to the knee.  Sometimes, but more rarely, the long robe was discarded, and the Assyrian of some rank wore the short tunic, which was then, however, always fringed, and commonly ornamented with a phillibeg.

Certain peculiar head-dresses and peculiar modes of arranging the hair deserve special attention from their singularity. [PLATE CXXXV., Fig. 4.] They belong in general to musicians, priests, and other official personages, and may perhaps have been badges of office.  For instance, musicians sometimes wear on their heads a tall stiff cap shaped like a fish’s tail; at other times their head-dress is a sort of tiara of feathers.