Description
The towel was a piece of cloth used primarily for drying. It would most likely have been made of cotton or linen (see Linen).
Translation
The particular piece of cloth in JHN 13:4; JHN 13:5 was large enough for Jesus to wrap around himself. The act of washing feet was normally performed by a servant or a slave. Such servants often performed their services dressed only in a loincloth (see Loincloth). While it may be good to explain this fact in a footnote, the translation itself will only be able to indicate it if there is a similar piece of clothing used by servants.