Ancient Civilisations Costumes

Woven textiles are produced by nearly all human societies. This volume investigates evidence for patterned textiles (that is, textiles woven with elaborate designs) that were produced by two early Mediterranean civilizations: the Minoans of Crete and the Mycenaeans of mainland Greece, that prospered during the Aegean Bronze Age, c. 3000–1200 BC, contemporary with Pharaonic Egypt. Both could boast of specialists in textile production. Together with their wine, oil, and art, Minoan and Mycenaean... [Read More]

A dream in which a man has sex with his mother may promise him political or commercial success--according to dream interpreters of late antiquity, who, unlike modern Western analysts, would not necessarily have drawn conclusions from the dream about the dreamer's sexual psychology. Evidence of such shifts in perspective is leading scholars to reconsider in a variety of creative ways the history of sexuality. In these fifteen original essays, eminent cultural historians and classicists not only d... [Read More]

The core of the book focuses on tragic costume in its original performance context of fifth-century Athens, but the implications of subsequent uses in Roman and more recent performances are also taken into consideration.Most importantly, the reader is invited to think about how tragic costume worked as a language in ancient performance and was manipulated physically and verbally in order to create meaning. Elements of this language are shown through a series of test cases from a range of ancient... [Read More]

A Place at the Altar illuminates a previously underappreciated dimension of religion in ancient Rome: the role of priestesses in civic cult. Demonstrating that priestesses had a central place in public rituals and institutions, Meghan DiLuzio emphasizes the complex, gender-inclusive nature of Roman priesthood. In ancient Rome, priestly service was a cooperative endeavor, requiring men and women, husbands and wives, and elite Romans and slaves to work together to manage the community's relationsh... [Read More]

In this study Larissa Bonfante traces the development of Etruscan dress from the eighth to the fifth century B.C.E., using as evidence actual remnants of costumes, sculptures and other artistic representations, and literary passages dealing with the subject. Bonfante explores Near Eastern influences on Etruscan dress as well as the relationships of Greek and Roman styles to Etruscan styles. She also addresses the problem of determining which garments were actually worn and which were only artist... [Read More]

Aristophanes and Women, first published in 1993, investigates the workings of the great Athenian comedian’s ‘women plays’ in an attempt to discern why they were in fact probably quite funny to their original audiences. It is argued that modern students, scholars, and dramatists need to consider much more closely the conditions of the plays’ ancient productions when evaluating their ostensible themes. Three plays are focused upon: Lysistrata, Thesmophoriazusae, and Ecclesiazusae. All seem... [Read More]

Originally published in 1927, this book analyses a Cretan statuette owned by the Fitzwilliam Museum. Wace then uses this artefact and other representations of Minoan women to reconstruct high-status female dress in the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and discuss the practicalities of its construction and possible decoration. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient Aegean civilizations or the history of fashion.