A
chiton (
Greek:
χιτών,
khitōn) was a form of clothing worn by men and
women in
Ancient Greece, from the
Archaic period (c. 750–c.
500 bc) to the
Hellenistic period
(323–30 bc). There are two forms of chiton, the
Doric chiton and the later
Ionic chiton. The "Doric" style was simpler and had
no "sleeves," being simply pinned, sewn, or buttoned at the
shoulder. The "Ionic" style was made of a much wider piece of
fabric, and was pinned, sewn, or buttoned all the way from the neck
to the wrists and the excess fabric gathered by the
zone or girdled at the waist. By the late
Archaic, Ionic chitons had become less common, especially for
men.
History and usage
The Doric chiton is a single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric.
It can be worn plain or with an overfold called an apotygma which
is more common to women. It can be draped and fastened at the
shoulder by pins (
fibulae) or sewing, or by
buttons. The Ionic chiton could also be made from linen or wool and
was draped without the fold and held in place from neck to wrist by
several small pins. A large belt called a
zoster could be
worn over the chiton, usually under the breast ("high-girdled") or
around the waist ("low-girdled") or a narrower "zone" or girdle
could be used. The chiton's length was greater than the height of
the wearer, so excessive fabric was pulled above the belt, like a
blouse.
A double-girdled style also existed. The chiton was often worn in
combination with the heavier
himation,
which had the role of a cloak. When used alone (without a
himation), the chiton was called a
monochiton. A long
chiton which reached the heels was called a
chiton
poderes, while a longer one which dragged the ground was
called a
chiton syrtos or an (
Greek: ἐλκεχιτώνες,
elkekhitōnes)
(literally, a chiton that drags the ground). A woman's chiton would
always be worn at ankle length. Men wore the long chiton during the
Archaic period, but later wore it at knee length, except for
certain occupations such as priests and charioteers, and also the
elderly. A sleeved form was worn by priests and actors. The colour
or pattern would often indicate status, but varied over time. The
chiton was the outfit of
Aphrodite because
it was considered very feminine, although men also wore it.
Dionysus is often depicted wearing it. The
chiton was also worn by the Romans after the third century BC.
However, they referred to it as a
tunica.
An example of the
chiton can be seen, worn by the caryatids
in the porch of the Athens Erechtheum
. A charioteer's chiton can be see on the
Charioteer of Delphi (474
BC).
The Chitoniskos
Greek men sometimes wore a short version of chiton known as the
chitoniskos. On Greek vases, men are pictured wearing the
chitoniskos while hunting, farming, and under their armor for war.
The smaller chiton could also be worn over another chiton.
Etymology
The word occurs in
Homer . In Greek,
khitōn could be used to refer not only to a cloth garment
covering the skin, but also to other sorts of covering such as a
coat of mail, a membrane around a bodily organ, or the pod
containing seeds. The Greek word is a borrowing from a
Central Semitic source (most
probably
Northwest
Semitic, the exact source language not being known) and is akin
to the Hebrew word
kětōnet 'tunic'. The Central Semitic
word that was the source of Greek
khitōn was itself a
borrowing of the
Akkadian word
kitû, meaning 'flax' and 'linen'. This Akkadian word in
turn comes from Sumerian
gada (which has the variant
gida). The Latin word
tunica, source of the
English word
tunic, is a borrowing of a
Phoenician word of kindred origin.
See also
References
- Buttons and their use in Greek Garments Kate Elderkin,
in The American Journal of Archaeology Vol.2 No. 3 p.333-345
- Charioteer of Delphi, Museum of Antiquities,
Delphi
- American Heritage Dictionary, s.v. chiton,
tunic.
Additional sources
External links
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