Figure 1.--This statuette depicts an Etruscan mother with her child. It is dated 500-450 BC. It was found in central Italy, but we don't know the exact location. Women commonly wore a gown called a chiton under a shawl called a himation. Both garments were dyed in bright colors. Elaborately patterned garments were popular. Also note her elaborate braded hair style. We know less about children's clothing. Small children commobnly did not wear clothing. Source: Louvre Museum.

We know about Etruscan clothing because of Etruscan art, both paintings and clothing. There is no surviving Etruscan literature, only incripotions. Thus our knowldge of Etruscan art comes entirely from art work with no intertive text. Those various images show that the Etuscans had well-developed fashion traditions. There are notable Greek and Asian influences. These may have come from the Villanovan origins, especially the Asian influences. The Greek influences which seem the most important may have come from the Greek colonization of Italy or seafaring contacts. Estrucan dress appears to have had a major influence on Roman fashions. Wealthy Etruscans appear to have dressed very well. They appear to have given more attention to fashion than the Greeks. Their clothes were made of fine wool and linen. Some sources mention cotton, but we are not sure about this. Their clothing was often colorful. Both men and women in more recent times, wore a tunic, probably showing the growing Greek influence. Men�s clothing in ancient times during the summer was a loincloth or skirt when working with a Greek-style tunic. In cooler weather men wore a lacerna, a short woolen cloak. We begin to see a more destinctive and longer cloak--the tebenna (mid-6th century BC). This becamne the standard male Etruscan garment. It was quire similar to the Greek chlamys. the tebenna was draped over the left shoulder and then carefully wrapped around the torso under the right arm. It was held in place with various devices, including belts and gurdles. We see it decorated with clavi, colorful stripes which broacast the wearer's social status or ran. Costume experts believe that the tebenna is the inspiration for the Roman toga. The Romans also adopted the clavi. Women commonly wore a gown called a chiton under a shawl called a himation. Both garments were dyed in bright colors. Elaborately patterned garments were popular. Especially striking in the Etruscan image is the use of jewelry. The Etruscans developed a marvelous gold-working technique called granulation. This involved soldering tiny grains of gold on a smooth background to create a glittering effect. Etruscans wore a variety of jewelry, including bracelets, necklaces, earrings, clasps and pins, and other types of jewelry. Fibula were used to hold draped clothing in place. They could be beautifully worked. Etruscan women gave great attention to their physical appearance. They wore makeup and braided their hair into complicated creations. Early Etruscan men commonkly wore beards, but gradually a clean-shaven face became more common. . We do not know much about children's clothing. Young childtn and slaves are often depicted without any clothing. Older children and youth seem to have dressed much like their parents.

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Created: 2:33 AM 10/31/2011
Last updated: 2:33 AM 10/31/2011