User:ADhist312/Himation
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[edit]Origins
[edit]While there are no physical remains of himation that have been recovered, it is known that himation was worn by ancient Greeks as early as the sixth century b.c.e.[1]
Through different decorations, pottery, and statues, it is known that himation was typically made out of wool and linen, usually in the color white.[1][2][3] Because of the price of the material, linen was typically reserved for the upper class of Greek society.[2] It is thought that himation was dyed or sewn with eye catching colors, while also having very complex patterns.[1] These patterns would sometimes be woven into the thick wool or linen, or otherwise painted directly onto the himation.[1] The production of himation was considered a woman's job, as they would spin the wool or linen into a large piece of rectangular fabric.[2] While a majority of the time women made himation in their homes, there were also professional weavers and dyers.[2]
Himation was perhaps the most popular garment worn in ancient Greece, with many different styles of wearing. It also "served as an important means of nonverbal communication. A properly arranged himation conveyed elite status, while garments in disarray created opportunities for bodily display in homosexual and heterosexual courtship"[4].
The himation became so popular, that historians use the word to refer to a number of different Greek garments.[1] Due to the popularity of himation, the ancient Romans also adopted the style, making himation apart of their society as well.[5]
(Going to be added to wearing styles section of current Wiki article)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Judge_Wearing_Himation.jpg/220px-Judge_Wearing_Himation.jpg)
Ancient Greek gods are often described as wearing himation in various situations. For example, Athena has been described as wearing an attic helmet, a peplos, an aegis with a small gorgoneion, and a himation[6]. Another god that has be described as wearing a himation was Dionysos. In an explanation of a piece of artwork at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Dionysos is described as wearing "a himation and ivy wreath and carries Kantharos in uplifted left hand."[7]
Not only did the everyday people of ancient Greek society wear himation, but the most divine figures throughout ancient Greece's history wore himation as well, showing just how popular of a garment it was.
Men, Women, and Children in Himation
[edit]Women wearing himation did not come into fashion until around 500 B.C.E., with the end of the Archaic Period, when it became more frequently worn by women.[8] Women commonly wore himation in public "as warm cloaks over their thin Ionic chitons".[1] Himation was also often used to show off women's personal styles and their statuses in ancient Greek society. In the presence of strangers, himation doubled as a veil[4]. Women were more relaxed with the configuration of their himation.[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Singing_Man_Wearing_Himation.jpg/220px-Singing_Man_Wearing_Himation.jpg)
Men would sometimes wear himation in professional settings. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, an ancient greek piece of pottery, called the Terracotta Amphora, shows shows a Greek judge wearing himation[9]. On the other side of the Terracotta Amphora, it shows a far less professional setting of a man wearing himation. In this image a young man is playing the kithara and singing[10]. There were some unwritten rules men had when it came to wearing himation. One of which was the length that himation; if it went past the ankles and dragged, it was considered in poor taste.[8] Also, if the left shoulder was exposed when wearing himation, the man was seen as barbaric.[11]
Children also wore himation. "Notably the himation was sometimes worn by aristocratic Roman school boys, who were sent to schools taught by Greek tutors."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Himation | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ a b c d Mark, Joshua J. "Ancient Greek Clothing". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ kimmygutierrez (2016-09-15). "Greek Himation Dress". Art 2130. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ a b c "himation | Fashion History Timeline". fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Bronze statue of an aristocratic boy | Roman | Augustan". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ "Carol L. Lawton, Attic Document Reliefs, Art and Politics in Ancient Athens (Selections), chapter 1". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Ellen Reeder Williams, The Archaeological Collection of the Johns Hopkins University (Selections), Baltimore, Hopkins BMA 60.55.2". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ a b c kimmygutierrez (2016-09-15). "Greek Himation Dress". Art 2130. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ "Attributed to the Berlin Painter | Terracotta amphora (jar) | Greek, Attic | Late Archaic". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ "Attributed to the Berlin Painter | Terracotta amphora (jar) | Greek, Attic | Late Archaic". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ Adhikari, Saugat (2014-08-28). "Top 10 Famous Clothes in Ancient Greece". Ancient History Lists. Retrieved 2023-06-02.