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Clothing: A Day in the Life of an Ancient Greek

Around 1200 BC, waves of Dorian invaders swept into Greece from Illyria, which is on the east of the Adriatic, and brought about the downfall of the Mycenaean civilization.  The next period, which lasted four centuries, is known as the Dark Ages. At the beginning of this period the people dressed in bell-shaped skirts with tightly fitted bodices and progressed into a civilization which dressed in the draped clothes that we now associate with this ancient culture.

PROJECT: Make a replica of an Ancient peplos and an Ancient chiton!!

BASIC DESIGNS

Most families made their own clothes, because purchasing them at the agora was expensive. The Doric peplos was the most basic garment and was worn up to the beginning of the 6^th century BC. The full-length chiton was worn by all Greek men, until the 5^th century BC when it was abandoned for a shorter version, which was knee length. However, the elderly continued to wear the longer version. Ancient clothing is based upon rectangular designs because it was easy to weave.

The same style of garment was worn by both poor and rich women. The difference was evident in the quality of material utilized or the decorative elements applied. Rich women wore delicate fabrics and fine jewelry made from gold and silver decorated with gems and precious stones.

There were two different styles of tunics. The earliest style was the Doric peplos. It was a woolen tunic worn only by women and was fastened at the shoulders with multiple pins. The Ionic chiton was worn by both men and women. It was fastened at the shoulders with pins and had an over fold across the chest. Both tunics were tied at the waist with a belt. The belt was worn high or low on the waist according to the current fashions.

A kolpos is a gathering of fabric, usually on a belted chiton, that spills over the belt, often obscuring it. Most individuals wore garments of woven wool or linen. Silk and cotton were available from other countries, however they were quite expensive.

OUTERWEAR

A himation was an outer garment usually worn by men, but also adopted by the women. It was important that a man's cloak should hang gracefully, so it's edges were sometimes weighted with small clay balls. At the start of the Archaic period himations were quite small and worn over the shoulders as a small cloak. However, as time progressed and methods of draping became more elaborate, its dimensions increased to 10-12 feet by 5 feet.

People in the country also wore garments made from goatskins to keep them warm. Sometimes, young men would wear only the himation, a long cloak, without a tunic beneath. The cloak was wrapped around the body with one end thrown over the shoulder. A short cloak was called a chlamys. It was used for hunting or riding and it was fastened on the shoulder with a single brooch. Most often the Ancient Greeks went barefoot, however they also wore strappy leather sandals.

COLORS AND DYES

The Ancient Greeks would use dyes to color their garments. Saffron was available to create a yellow hue, indigo, to create a blue tone, beets and berries, to create red tones, and barks and plants to create a variety of other colors. Sometimes these garments were embroidered with a decorative border. The colors of threads for these designs appears limitless, with mention of a variety of colors such as yellow, violet, indigo, red, and even gold or silver threads. The most common border design was the Greek key pattern.

MAKE-UP

The Ancient Greeks believed that a pale complexion was a sign of beauty. Therefore, many women would apply white powdered lead, which is poisonous, to their skin to whiten their skin. The women of Ancient Greece used makeup such as: powdered charcoal as a black hue for eye shadows, a red powder for rouge, and various lotions and oils made from bee's wax, lanolin, lard, and olive oil.

Both men and women used perfumes made from boiling flowers and herbs. Mirror glass had not been invented in the period of the Ancient Greeks, but both men and women enjoyed using highly polished bronze as a reflective surface. Wealthy women bathed everyday and adorned themselves with perfumed oils.

JEWELRY

As time progressed, men's hair and beards grew shorter, while women's hairstyles became more elaborate and detailed. The hair was curled, arranged in interesting designs, and held in place with scented waxes and lotions. The wealthy women of Ancient Greece would wear gold and silver rings, earrings, clasps, necklaces, crowns, combs or pins with inlaid precious stone and gems.

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