The Ionic chiton (KITE-en), the most popular Greek garment during the fifth century B.C.E., demonstrates many of the elaborate features of Ionian
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and the west coast of Greece, including th…
What is an Ionic chiton made of?
In time they evolved into the Ionic chiton, which was made of linen and even silk. The Ionic chiton was made from linen or silk. The advantage of using linen to make the Ionic chiton was that it was much more flexible, the result was that it hung in fine pleats of diaphanous crepon.
What is a chiton?
Chiton is a type of sewn clothing worn by ancient Greeks from 750-30 BC. It was generally made from single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric. At the waist chiton was kept in place by a belt. There were two styles of chiton throughout the history, Doric or Dorian and Ionic.
What is the difference between Doric and Ionic chiton?
Ionic style chiton was made of a wider piece of linen or wool than Doric and was pinned, sewn or buttoned all the way from the neck to the wrists forming a sort of sleeves. A large belt called a zoster was also used for keeping the chiton in place.
Why was chiton made from one piece?
Fabric was very expensive at that time and that is the reason why chiton was made from one piece. Doric chiton was made from pice of woolen fabric that was wide as outstretched hands of the wearer and higher than wearer. Fabric was folded in half vertically and upper part is folded to the outside until it comes to the shoulders.
When was the Ionic chiton worn?
500 bc) through the Hellenistic period (323–30 bc). Essentially a sleeveless shirt, the chiton was a rectangular piece of linen (Ionic chiton) or wool (Doric chiton) draped by the wearer in various ways and kept in place at the shoulders by brooches (fibulae) and at the waist by a belt.
Who wore the Ionic chiton?
A chiton (Greek: χιτών, khitōn) is a form of tunic that fastens at the shoulder, worn by men and women of ancient Greece and Rome. There are two forms of chiton. One is the Doric chiton and the later Ionic chiton.
What is chiton used for?
Chitin is a structural component of arthropod exoskeletons, fungi cell walls, mollusk shells, and fish scales. While humans don't produce chitin, it has uses in medicine and as a nutritional supplement. It may be used to make biodegradable plastic and surgical thread, as a food additive, and in paper manufacturing.
How do you make an Ionic chiton?
0:282:22How to Make a Greek Chiton - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFirst of all you need a colored sheet preferably a flat twin sheet and you take it. And you lay itMoreFirst of all you need a colored sheet preferably a flat twin sheet and you take it. And you lay it on the ground. And you divide it in half ok. So you would fold it the twin sheet.
What does chiton mean in Greek?
Definition of chiton 1 : any of a class (Polyplacophora) of elongated bilaterally symmetrical marine mollusks with a dorsal shell of calcareous plates. 2 [Greek chitōn] : the basic garment of ancient Greece worn usually knee-length by men and full-length by women.
Are chitons edible?
Chitons were prepared in many different ways. The Tlingit ate them raw, or dried for winter [8]. Port Simpson people consumed raw chitons that had been soaked in salt water for several days. In addition, chitons were steamed and eaten with animal fat or roasted on a fire [14].
What are the health benefits of chitin?
When consumed, chitin is a fantastic source of insoluble fiber. In fact, chitin's fiber provides prebiotic properties to the gut flora. This means that it aids in the growth of good bacteria in the body. Likewise, some chitin derivatives have even been found to have antioxidant properties.
Can your body digest chitin?
Many mammals can digest chitin and the specific chitinase levels in vertebrate species are adapted to their feeding behaviours. Certain fish are able to digest chitin. Chitinases have been isolated from the stomachs of mammals, including humans.
Where can chitin be found?
Chitin, which occurs in nature as ordered macrofibrils, is the major structural component in the exoskeletons of the crustaceans, crabs and shrimps, as well as the cell walls of fungi.
What are Chitons made of?
Chiton is a type of sewn clothing worn by ancient Greeks from 750-30 BC. It was generally made from single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric. At the waist chiton was kept in place by a belt. There were two styles of chiton throughout the history, Doric or Dorian and Ionic.
How do you apply chiton?
The belt can be put at the waist, under the bust, or at the hips, depending on what part of the body she wants to emphasize. The hem of a woman's chiton should be at her feet. If the chiton is too long, bring it up to the right length by blousing the extra cloth over the belt.
How do men wear Chitons?
As a rough guide, the unbelted chiton should reach from elbow to elbow (with your arms outstretched), and from chin to knee. Usually, both sides are completely sewn up, with the armholes in the top edge, not at the sides.
What are Greek hats called?
petasos, also spelled Petasus, wide-brimmed hat with a conical crown worn in ancient Greece. The petasos worn by men had a rather low crown, while that worn by women had a tall one.
How do you wear a Greek chiton?
Blouse the hem of the chiton until it comes just above the person's knees. Wrap the cloth around the person's body, like with a chiton, but only pin the cloth over his right shoulder. That's it. This piece of clothing is a simple cloak.
What is an ionic chiton?
Like the Doric chiton and the peplos, a simple sleeveless outer garment, the Ionic chiton was formed from a single rectangular piece of fabric. However, while the earlier Dorian garments had been made of wool, the Ionic chiton was made from much lighter linen fabric, dyed in bright colors and embroidered with stars, birds, or other designs. Some Ionic chitons were even woven of silk. This lighter fabric allowed much more pleating than had been possible with wool, which created fuller, more flowing garments. Ionic chitons were also much larger than earlier chitons, often measuring twice the width of the wearer's outstretched arms. This allowed plenty of fabric to make the pleats and folds that were the most important feature of the Ionic design. Those who wore the Ionic chiton often increased the folds and drapery of the garment by tightly folding and twisting the fabric when wet, then allowing it to dry in order to set the folds in the cloth.
What chiton does the woman on the right wear?
The woman on the right wears the traditional Doric chiton , which was less intricate than the Ionic chiton, worn by the woman on the left. Reproduced by p ermission of © Bettmamn/CORBIS.
What was the advantage of using linen to make the ionic chiton?
The advantage of using linen to make the Ionic chiton was that it was much more flexible, the result was that it hung in fine pleats of diaphanous crepon. Delicate muslin was also used.
What is a Doric chiton made of?
The Doric chiton was made from wool. Cloth was so valuable it was not cut in earlier eras, but in later times the chiton was constructed from two pieces of cloth. The earlier Greek Doric Chiton above was made of wool and simply folded around the body. In time they evolved into the Ionic chiton, which was made of linen and even silk.
What was the Greek tunic called?
Making A Greek Chiton. Both men and women wore the tunic or Greek chiton and it was simply an arrangement of folded and wrapped fabric as shown above and left. Women wore a floor length dress called a Greek chiton. In early times the Doric chiton was made from fabric which was the height of the wearer, plus 12 inches.
What is a chiton?
Chiton - History and Facts about Chiton. Chiton is a type of sewn clothing worn by ancient Greeks from 750-30 BC. It was generally made from single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric. At the waist chiton was kept in place by a belt. There were two styles of chiton throughout the history, Doric or Dorian and Ionic.
Why was linen used as a material for ionic chiton?
Linen was used as a material for Ionic chiton because it was much more flexible, and more pleasant for wearing. Often a heavier himation was worn over chiton, which had the role of a cloak. Chiton that was worn without himation was called a monochiton.
What is a long doric chiton?
Long Doric chiton was worn by women while men wore chiton that came to the knees. Sleeved form was reserved for priests and actors.
Why is chiton made of one piece?
Fabric was very expensive at that time and that is the reason why chiton was made from one piece. Doric chiton was made from pice of woolen fabric that was wide as outstretched hands of the wearer and higher than wearer. Fabric was folded in half vertically and upper part is folded to the outside until it comes to the shoulders.
What is a chiton poderes?
Chiton poderes was a chiton that reached the heels. There was an even longer chiton that dragged the ground and it was called chiton syrtos or an elkekhitōnes. Colors in which fabric for chiton was dyed depended on the class and wealth of the wearer but which color represented which class, changed in time.
What is a chiton?
Chiton, Greek Chitōn, garment worn by Greek men and women from the Archaic period ( c. 750– c. 500 bc) through the Hellenistic period (323–30 bc ). Essentially a sleeveless shirt, the chiton was a rectangular piece of linen (Ionic chiton) or wool (Doric chiton) draped by the wearer in various ways and kept in place at the shoulders by brooches ...
Where is the Chiton statue?
At all times the chiton was worn at ankle length by women. Charioteer wearing long chiton. Bronze statue from the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, c. 470 bce. In the Archaeological Museum, Delphi, Greece.
Overview
A chiton (Greek: χιτών, khitōn) is a form of tunic that fastens at the shoulder, worn by men and women of ancient Greece and Rome. There are two forms of chiton. One is the Doric chiton and the later Ionic chiton. According to Herodotus, popular legend was that Athenian women began to wear the chiton as opposed to the peplos after several women stabbed a messenger to death with the bron…
Etymology
The word chiton is derived from a Central Semitic language *kittan (e.g. Hebrew כֻּתֹּנֶת kuttṓnĕṯ), ultimately from a word for flax.
Different forms and wearing styles
A shorter version of the chiton was called the chitoniskos.
The Doric chiton is a single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric. It can be worn plain or with an overfold called an apoptygma, which is more common to women. It can be draped and fastened at the shoulder by pins (Greek: peronai; Latin: fibulae) or sewing, or by buttons.
See also
• Clothing in the ancient world
• Exomis
• Stephane (Ancient Greece)
• Toga
Sources
• Pomeroy, Sarah B. (1994), Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity, London: Pimlico, ISBN 978-0-712-66054-9
• Pomeroy, Sarah (2002), Spartan Women, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-195-13067-7
• "Chiton" Encyclopædia Britannica
External links
• Greek Dress
• Greek clothes (French, Pdf)