Himation

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Female and male statue with himation (138/137 BC), from the house of Dioscorides and Cleopatra on Delos

The Greek himation ( ancient Greek ἱμάτιον himátion ) was like its Roman equivalent, the pallium , an ancient piece of clothing that fulfilled the function of a cloak .

Description and use

The himation is a rectangular coat that could be draped in different ways. The himation was worn by men and women alike. It was usually worn over a chiton , an undergarment made of thin material. The himation could be worn in very different ways. It usually enveloped the whole body while leaving one arm uncovered. Women usually pulled it over their head and wore it as a headscarf, one end could also be used as a veil.

history

With the Romans, this type of fabric was first used in the 3rd century BC. It was popular with philosophers and friends of the Greeks, but quickly became popular as an everyday costume beyond these circles because it was easy and comfortable to wear. It could be made of wool, linen or silk and dyed in different colors, such as white, different shades of red, yellow or black. It could also be interwoven with gold or decorated with purple stripes. The pallium was worn over the tunic , and crepidae were mostly used as footwear. One possible way of carrying the pallium was to lead the pallium from the left shoulder across the back to the right shoulder and place it over it. It was also possible that it was first placed over the left shoulder and then passed across the back, pulled through under the right arm and then placed over the right arm or the right shoulder. The counterpart in clothing for Roman women was generally the palla , but literary tradition also attests to the pallium in women, goddesses and mythical queens and heroines. It was used until the 7th century.

literature

Web links

Commons : Himation  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ So with Marcus Terentius Varro , De origine linguae Latinae 8.28 and 9.48.