Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 46

GREEK TERMINOLOGY

SAKKOS
DORIC
CHITON

PILOS

EXOMIS

DIPLAX

IONIC
CHITON

In truth, many of the terms we have designated "Greek" are actually Roman adaptations of the original Greek words. This is perplexing, as both
modern and ancient scholars have and/or had access to primary Greek
sources on the subject. Several of the most common words used by costume historians are chiton, chlamys, diplax, exomis, himation, kolobion,
peplos, petasos, pilos, sakkos, and strophium. These terms may also be
referenced in Totora, and Russell and Cantarella.
Chiton: the overall Greek tunic or gown. A later Greek term with
Ionic and Doric origins, evolving from the earlier "kithon, kithonos, ho."
The Doric form was taken from the Akkadian "kitinnu" and the Aramaic/
Hebrew "ketonet" (LSJ). Early use of the word translates solely to "a
man's garment" (GPS 1), but in Classical times it was worn by women as
well. The word can be found in Homer, Herodotus, and Hesiod (GPS 1,
2, 3). It is also used by the Greeks to describe the costume of foreigners,
thus it must have been a generic term for "garment, or tunic." A literary
derivative of chiton is "chitonion," which was specifically a woman's shift
(GPS 4). There were two forms of the chiton worn by women in the Classical period, the Ionic and Doric chitons: The Ionic chiton was formed
by folding a rectangle of cloth in half, lengthwise, and sewing up the raw
edges (making a cloth tube). The rectangle's size was determined by the
wearer's height and the distance from finger tip to finger tip (doubled).
The garment was fastened over the wearer's shoulders and arms by numerous fibulae (see Latin terminology) and the chiton was then fitted to
the bust and waist using either a long band or outer wrap. The Doric
chiton was formed by making a tube similar to the Ionic chiton that was
longer by the length from the wearer's head to her waist. The extra cloth
was folded where the chiton was attached at the shoulders by fibulae,
forming an overfold called the apotygma. The apotygma could be either
belted or left loose, depending on the time period.
Chlamys: a cloak worn over one shoulder with weights at the corners (Russell 1983, 57). The word is a Latin derivative of "chlamus,
chlamudos, he" (LSJ). The Greek term "chlamus" translates to "a short
mantle or military cloak," and is mentioned by Sappho, Xenophon, and
Aristotle (GPS 5, 6, 7). It may also be quoted as "chlamuda." According
to Liddell-Scott, the word originated in Thessaly, and referred specifically
to a horseman's cloak. It is seen on statues of Hermes and Eros. Later,
the garment evolves into the Classical chlamydon, for women-a pleated
garment fastened over one shoulder, worn over the chiton. The chlamys
was made from a rectangle of cloth that was pinned over one shoulder
with a fibula.
Diplax: a weighted cloak that is fastened under one shoulder. The
full lexicon entry is "diplax, diplakos, ho, he" and is defined as a
"double-folded mantle." The word can be found in Homer and Aeschylus
(GPS 8, 9, 10). It is also used to refer to a Persian cloak. The word
seems to be solely Archaic in usage, and does not appear after approximately 450 B.C. (LSJ). This does not correspond with Russell and
Tortora, who claim the diplax was a cloak worn by Hellenistic women
"over the Ionic chiton" (Russell 1983, 62; Tortora 2005, 53). In either
case, a diplax was likely made in ways similar to the chlamys or
himation.
Exomis: a one-shouldered chiton that was supposedly worn by
Amazons, Artemis, and even Olympian contestants. The lexicon entry is
"exomis, exomidos, he" and it is defined as a "tunic with one sleeve"
THEATRE
SUMMER

2006

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006