Figure 1.--This recreation shows how a familt may have dressed in ancient Athens. Notice tthat boys and men wore similar clothing, bit that women wore longer garments to cover their legs.

Greeks wore very simple clothing. Linen clothing was common in the summer and woolen clothing in the winter. Clothing was mostly made in the home by the mother, daughters, and female slaves. Garments included simple tunics and warm cloaks, made of linen or wool. They we often dyed bright colors, but bleached white garments were also worn. Decorations were often distinctive to each city state. One garment created by the Greeks was the broad-brimmed hat. Some clothing historians believe that the Greek "petasos" was the first true hat--headwear with a complete brim. It was worn mostly hen traveling. It had a hin strap and could be worn hanging down the back. Children of both genders often wore no clothing at all when they were very young. There does not appear to have been any specialized garments for children before they began wearing adult garments. Boys spent a lot of time naked in athletic training. There were some differences between city states and of course over time.

Design

Greeks wore very simple clothing. This was primarily because tailoring skills and implements did not yet exist. Garments were not not shaped and fitted like modern garments, but rather draped on the body in folds and held in pklace by pins and belts. There were four types of garments, all of which were were formed from rectangular pieces of cloth. Women wore the chiton which when folded in place was a kind of dress. There were also Doric and Ionic over draperies, the himation and the chlamys.

Material

The two most important materials in ancient Greece were linnen and wool. Linen clothing was common in the summer and woolen clothing in the winter. One material that was not available to the Greeks was cotton. Wool was available in many grades from soft to course. There were also different grades of linen. Vase paintings and sculptures suggest that there were important differences between the linnen used in Greece and Egypt. Egyptian tomb paintings and sculptures suggest a linnen that often folded crisply. Greek linen does not appear to have been as stiff and drapped naturally. In fact it is not possible as far as we know to tell from available depictions if the garments shown are linnen or wool. Of course tghe type of garment had sone affect on the material chosen. Cloaks for example were almost always made in wool.

Manufacture

Clothing was mostly made in the home by the mother, daughters, and female slaves.

Garments

Garments included simple tunics and warm cloaks, made of linen or wool. One garment created by the Greeks was the broad-brimmed hat. Some clothing historians believe that the Greek "petasos" was the first true hat--headwear with a complete brim. It was worn mostly hen traveling. It had a hin strap and could be worn hanging down the back.

Gender

Greek garments for men and women wore very similar garments, although the length was very different.

Men

The primary garment for Greek men was a tunic. This wa a garment without sleeves that hung from the shoulders to anout knee length. During cold weather they might wear a wool cloak over their tunic. The cloak was also useful as a blanket. Their legs were left bare. Well off Greeks would have sandals, but less well off individuals would go barefoot.

Women

The primary garment worn by women was a simple piece of wool or linen fabric. This was not a fitted garment, but rather wrapped and pinned in place in various ways. The favric as it was a plain piece of cloth did not change over time, but women did alter the of wrapping, folding and pinning the cloth. To secure the garment, a fabric belt was tied in place around the waist. Women wore their garments much longer than men wore their tunics. Women wore their clothes to their ankles so as to cover their legs. Women also wore cloaks in cold weather.

Colors

The Greeks are often seen as wearing white clothes. In fact the Greeks often died clothes bright colors. Greek wore clothes died in colors like yellow, indigo, green, violet, dark red, dark purple and other hues. While colorful clothing was popular, bleached white garments were also worn.

Decoration

Decorations were often distinctive to each city state. Ther were many motifs. Geometric motifs were common, including the dentil as well as circles and squares. Plant motifs were also popular like the laurel, ivy, and waterleaf.

Children

Children of both genders often wore no clothing at all when they were very young and the weather was cmild. There does not appear to have been any specialized garments for children before they began wearing adult garments. Boys spent a lot of time naked in athletic training. We hope to acquire some comtemporary images of Greek children such as vase paintings or sculptures, but have not yet been successful.

Regions

There were some differences between city states.

Chronology

There were some differences over time. Greek fashions, however, did not change significantly over long periods, unlike modern fashion.

Modern Depictions

We notice many depictions of Greek children in books, especially children's books. These depictions vary widely. Many of these depictions, however, do not seem very accurate as far as we understand Greek clothing styles. As can be seen here, we are just beginning to acquire some basic information.