One of the characteristic features of ancient Greek society is the complete absence of major slavery. That is what influenced the development of democracy in this state. The greatest ancient Greek culture is the culture of a free citizen. The costume of the ancient Greeks could not but inherit this trait. In addition, the freedom of citizens was reflected not only in their clothes, but also in their hairstyle and jewelry. The history of clothing in ancient Greece will be summarized below.
Costume of ancient Greece
The cultivated craving for simplicity led to the fact that clothing in the ancient state was perhaps one of the few ways to show themselves against other people and stand out from the crowd. It should be noted that the ancient Greek dress only seems natural and simple. Although, at first glance, what could be easier - to fold in half and wrap a couple of pieces of fabric around the body? However, in fact, the fashion of ancient Greece consisted of all kinds of chipping, drapery and a diverse manner of wearing the same thing. This was considered a real art, which from a young age was brought up in the family. In addition, such a skill was part of good manners and etiquette.
Color and fabric
The ancient Greeks, whose clothes previously consisted only of pieces of fabric, began to sew costumes relatively early in the year. Ionian linen was soon replaced by woolen threads introduced by the Dorians. They were painted in blue, purple, red and yellow. A complex multi-colored ornament could be achieved by using textile with threads of a different color or by embroidery on the main background. As a rule, the Greek tunic embroidered with a geometric pattern along the rim, and leaves, stars or flowers could embroider on the field. In addition, there were various figures of gods and animals, scenes of battles and hunting.
Especially popular in ancient Greece were clothes of pink or white colors, which were edged with contrasting red or black border.
The history of clothing tells us that in the early period the Hellenes preferred large designs. However, starting from the turn of the 5-4 century BC, plain fabric began to prevail in the wardrobe of the Greeks. Often, the costume of ancient Greece was either brown or white, was decorated with blue or yellow border, as well as an ornament that represented a broken line with curls. It was called a meander.
Chiton
The main clothing of the ancient Greeks, whose name is a tunic, as already mentioned, was simple and convenient. Heaton is the main item of clothing of the Greek. It was a piece of fabric, which on one side had a hole for the hand, and on the other, it was attached to the shoulder with a buckle or clasp. Less often they simply sewed it. Before the wars with the Persians in ancient Greece, it was customary to tighten the waist. The belt played a special role in the ancient Greek costume. It had two functions: firstly, to pick up a tunic, and secondly, to make it the required length. The short version - to the knees - was more loved by the Dorians, and the Ionians preferred to wear a tunic to the heels. A little later, fashion changed, so even the Athenians began to wear a shortened Dorian version of this clothing.
There were few slaves in Greece, but there was a special version of the tunic for them: it was distinguished by the fact that the slave's right shoulder always remained open.
Gimathion
Gimatiy, or Gimation, is a spacious cloak that the ancient Greeks threw over the tunic. The clothes were fixed on the chest just below the left shoulder, and then the fabric was simply thrown behind the back.
Gimathion was also worn by women when they left home. They could throw the edge of this cloak over their heads. Terracotta figurines and multiple drawings on vases demonstrate an infinite number of options for wearing hemation. If the weather was hot outside, then it served as nothing more than a scarf, which was thrown back through the arms bent at the elbows. But if desired, the girl could easily wrap herself in it in such a way that even part of her face was hidden from view.
Mantle
In addition to a long cloak - hemation, the ancient Greeks also had a short cloak, which was called a chlamydia. She was fastened with a clasp on her neck. The mantle was worn on the road, during wars or hunting, by the ancient Greeks. Clothing in Athens was reserved only for young men, and in Sparta, mantle could only be worn by adult citizens.
Tunic
Women in ancient Greece knew hundreds of ways to turn simple clothes - the same as men - into an exquisite and original costume. One of the varieties of tunic - tunic, it fell to the toes and was made of soft, but at the same time, heavy woolen fabric. In most cases, it was white with a colored border. Draped in a variety of ways, the folds on the tunic were held by a tightening belt. With the help of irons and starch, the folds were carefully fixed. It should be noted that the girls wore a belt at the waist, but married women had to wear it under their breasts.
Great scope for all kinds of female tricks for modeling the figure was provided precisely by the free style of clothing. Usually, under the tunic, special fabric inserts could be hemmed to make the chest lush and the hips more rounded. Stripes of linen canvas could tightly pull the convex belly. Women who were tall were wearing shoes with very thin soles, while low girls, on the contrary, were thick.
Fans in the form of a lotus leaf were popular among Greek women. Usually they were painted blue.
Hairstyles in ancient Greece
The hairstyles of the inhabitants of Greece, which are depicted on vases and frescoes, amaze with their variety. Assyrian fashion dominated the archaic era. Hair during this period also preferred not to cut, but to curl thoroughly, and then weave together. According to the Cretan fashion, the young men preferred to wear hair, which was divided into strands, reaching the elbows in length.
The men of Greece wore long and thick beards. They went from the temples to the cheeks and protruded strongly, leaving a strip around the mouth free. Often the beard was cut so that it puffed down with a comb and curled. A thick beard among the Greeks was considered a sign of the masculinity of its wearer. However, after the Greco-Persian war, it began to be shortened somewhat, and from the period of Alexander the Great, the Greeks generally preferred to shave. However, the razor was known to the Hellenes since the Mycenaean period. Later, some Athenian fashionistas, even during the time of Pericles, plucked or shaved their hair, for which they were ridiculed by the townspeople.
For a long time, long hair was considered a sign of noble origin. However, by the 4th century BC, the male population began to cut their hair relatively short so that they could lie around their heads with natural curls. Curls were left only for children, and while the young man studied at the gymnasium, a short hairstyle was required. Later, when he became a citizen, it was his will to choose any length, and in most cases they settled on the middle one.
In Greece, there were many options for women's hairstyles. After the wars with the Persians, they lost the bulkiness that they were famous for in the east. Spartan girls wore long hair that was not braided, but on their wedding day they had to shave their heads. In other regions, hair was knotted at the back of the head, combed up, reinforced with a wreath or several turns of ribbon, shortened at the back, and hidden in a kind of net or bag.
With the help of plant substances, hair was dyed and lightened in golden color. Rarely achievable ideal were white curls. However, most Greek fashionistas had to be satisfied with one or another shade of red hair. Curling irons were used.
As excavations show, there were many hairdressers in Athens. There, the hair was not only dyed, cut and curled, but also choked. In addition, they could order a wig or attach artificial strands to the hairstyle. Foreign curls are one of the most popular goods throughout Greece, except for Sparta. There, women were famous for their thick hairstyles.
Hats
The ancient Greeks, whose clothes are simple but unusual, did not cover their heads in cities. But on the road or in the countryside from the sun was protected by a small felt hat that had no fields. It was called a pilos. Could, on the contrary, put on a wide-brimmed hat made of straw and felt.
Ancient greek shoes
The inhabitants of Greece in most cases went barefoot, so the ancient Greek sandals were very popular. It is interesting that a woman was considered a real mistress if she knew how to lace up her shoes so that the leg seemed almost naked around. However, in this country there were shoes on a thick leather sole, and leather boots, laced with straps in front, reaching the owner to the middle of the lower leg. Such coarse shoes were used in most cases for riding a horse.
Cosmetics in ancient Greece
In classical Greece, the art of perfumery was extremely developed. Vegetable whitewash, blush, wax - all this was part of the Greek cosmetics. Of all the incense, backgammon was most valued. Egyptian pencils were used for eyeliner, Greek women also knew lipstick and powder. Numerous “guise of husbands” have survived to this day. They were called to appear "in a decent and simple form."
Similar behavior was subjected to unquestioning condemnation, since it was believed that it leads to effeminacy, and, in addition, in the near future promised a decline in morality. Caskets with fashionable knick-knacks and blush seemed like real Pandora's boxes, of which numerous troubles and misfortunes are already creeping out right in front of strict husbands. The main one - imitation of the barbarians and the pursuit of luxury - was particularly censured. But the larger and wider the Greek world became, the more closely it intertwined with the cultures of other peoples, the more difficult it was to resist the appearance of fashionable and everyday trends established there. Jewelry art is where such things have manifested themselves most vividly.
Jewelry in ancient Greece
Developed by the ancient Greeks, elegant and at the same time sophisticated jewelry was allowed by developed jewelry art. Both for local sales and for export to the barbaric world, for example, Scythians, jewelers and craftsmen had to cater to the tastes of buyers.
The men of Greece were very reserved in choosing jewelry. It was common for them not to wear jewelry. A stone with an engraving in the simplest setting is the maximum of their imagination and imagination. The impression of such a carved seal was perceived as the signature of its owner. In the shops of Athena it was impossible to find a single men's bracelet or necklace.
However, a completely opposite picture was revealed in the colonies that came into contact with the barbaric world. There, rich citizens, natives of Olivia and Panticapaeum, under the influence of local culture, could, without a twinge of conscience, succumb to the desire to look as impressive as the visiting nomadic kings. In turn, the border guards were not averse to adopting Greek culture, but at the same time not to give up their passion for jewelry.
As for the Greek women, they were anywhere in the country, whether it be the capital or the province, distinguished by an irresistible doing bathing in jewelry. They wore elegant earrings, bracelets, belts, chains, tiaras and hairpins.