Chiton

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Terracotta statue of a young Macedonian with a chiton and cloak from the 3rd century BC Chr .; the Kausia hat on his head

The Chiton ( ancient Greek χιτών ), also Chlaina ( χλαῖνα ) was the undergarment worn directly on the body by men and women in ancient Greece .

A distinction is made between the Doric and the Ionic chiton.

Principle of the Doric chiton

The Doric chiton is actually called Chlaina as a man's garment and consisted of a woolen cloth . It was designed so that it was folded and closed on the left side of the body, while it remained open on the right side and was held together by a fastening needle on the shoulder. The Ionic chiton, on the other hand, was made of linen and closed like a sack so that you could pull it over your head through the opening.

In Homer's time , the general costume for men was the Ionian chiton, while the dress for women was the peplos . During the Peloponnesian War , the Doric chiton came back into use. It was considered a hallmark of free men to carry it over both shoulders, while the chiton exomis of simple workers and slaves ( ἐξωμίς , from ἐξω "outside" and ὄμος "shoulder") was only closed on the left, leaving the right arm free for them Work stayed.

The women's long chitons were usually held together in the middle by a belt . Since the chiton was much longer than the body for women, a flap was created, called a colpos , which ran parallel to the lower edge of the chiton and ran under the chest or lower, depending on how the belt was attached.

The himation was worn over the chiton .

In men, the chlaina was thrown over the left shoulder and pinned together with needles on the right shoulder, the right arm remained free. In addition to the simple coat (Haplois), they had a double-folded coat (Diplax), which was so large that it could also serve as a blanket when unfolded.

From Asia Minor peoples and the Persians one was Ärmelchiton worn, which differed by being worked sleeves by Greek models.

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Chiton  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erika Thiel: History of fashion. From the beginning to the present. Augsburg 1990, 7th edition, p. 22