From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clothing in ancient Greece primarily consisted of the chiton, the peplos, himation, and chlamys.
[edit] History and types
While no clothes have survived from this period, descriptions exist from contemporary accounts and artistic depiction. Clothes were mainly homemade, and often served many purposes (such as bedding). Despite popular imagination and media depictions of all-white clothing, elaborate design and bright colors were favored.[1]
The essential clothing for men and women was an inner tunic (peplos or chiton) and outer cloak (himation). The peplos was usually a heavier woollen garment, while the chiton was a lighter linen. Clothes were fastened with brooches or pins (fibulae), and a belt or girdle (zone) might secure the waist. The upper part of the peplos was folded down to the waist to form an apoptygma. Either garment could be pulled up under the belt to blouse the fabric: kolpos. A strophion was an undergarment sometimes worn by women around the mid-portion of the body, and a shawl (epiblema) could be draped over the tunic. Men could don a short cloak (chlamys). Men might wear a hat (petasos), women less commonly, and for outdoors, leather sandals or boots. Greek women wore one large piece of wool or linen, wrapped around them and pinned in various ways to make it stay. The ways of pinning it changed over time. One way was to fold the cloth in half, and put it so that the fold in the cloth came under the right armpit and down the right side, with the dress open all along the left side. A belt would be tied at the waist to keep the dress closed and the dress would fall to the ankles.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
