Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 47

which was worn by "slaves and the poor." The word is used by
Aristophanes in Wasps to refer to garments given to slaves by their master (GPS 11). The word was later adopted by Romans, and is used by
Plutarch (GPS 13), which might be where the modern usage of the word
originates. The garment was formed in much the same way as the chiton.
The overall length of the garment was the distance from the wearer's
shoulders to the waist. The width of the cloth rectangle was double the
distance of one elbow to the other.
Himation: a large rectangular wrap, worn by philosophers. The
word is actually a diminutive form of "h(e)ima, h(e)imatos, to," which
literally means "cloth" (LSJ). Himation is a well-documented word used
by the Greeks to describe "a large outer garment" (GPS 14). The Romans later translate it as a garment similar to the toga. The word was
used by Archaic authors, and appears to have been carried into the Common Era (after the birth of Jesus), as it is mentioned by Plutarch (GPS
15). The himation was simply a length of cloth that was folded/wrapped
about the body, much as women in India wear sari's today.
Kolobion: a sleeveless, seamed tunic. It was very similar to the chiton, only shorter and tighter. While Russell states that it "came into use
about the beginning of the fourth century B.C.E." (Before Common Era),
there are no pre-Common Era Latin uses of it and no Greek references to
it at all. All in all, it seems to be the Greek ancestor of the Roman
collobium (Russell 1983, 485). The earliest mention of the kolobion is
by Vergilius in The Aeneid, which makes dating its origin even more difficult as The Aenied was written between 29 and 19 B.C.E. (LSJ; GPS 17).
Peplos: an Archaic Greek term for a woman's robe. The lexicon
entry is "peplos, peploi, ho," but the term was very rarely used in Archaic
literature. The single reference found is by Pindar, from the fifth century
B.C.E. (GPS 18). This is most likely due to the peplos' quick evolution
into the chiton. The peplos was much more closely fitted than a chiton,
and was made in the same way as the Doric chiton. Because of the
garment's closer fit, the rectangle it was sewn from likely measured the
wearer's height (plus the distance required for an apotygma) by the distance between the wearer's elbows.
Petasos: a broad-rimmed felt hat. Originating in Archaic Thessaly
(LSJ), petasos stems from the term for a leaf or awning, because of its
broad, floppy brim. The petasos was seen on statues of Hermes and was
later used by Roman Christians (GPS 19). Felt is a non-woven fabric
made by applying friction to wool. A petasos was probably made by first
making a felt circle or square and then forming and fitting it to the
wearer's head.
Pilos: a peaked hat worn by young Greek men (Russell 1983, 57).
The word "pilos, ho" actually means "made of felt." The term pilos was used
by Hesiod to mean a "close-fitting cap" (GPS 22), and the term was also used
by Romans later: "pilus, pilleus." The word pilos could also refer to a felt
shoe, cuirass, or any felt garment in general (GPS 20, 21, 22). The use of
pilos as a word for cap probably stems from Greek slang but is technically inaccurate. A pilos was probably made in the same way as the petasos.
Extra manipulation might have been required to achieve the peak.
Sakkos (later saccus, see below): a peaked bonnet Greek women
wore over their hair. The word "sakkos, ho," like pilos, actually refers to
material rather than function. It literally translates to "a coarse cloth
made from hair" (i.e., goat or horse hair, GPS 24). Sakkos can refer to
anything made from hair cloth: sacks/bags, sieves for wine, and even

THEATRE

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY
SUMMER

2006

KOLOBION

PETASOS
SAKKOS

PEPLOS

HIMATION

STROPHIUM

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