Whilst seemingly simple garments such as the tunic remained staples of the classical wardrobe, sources from the period reveal a rich variety of changing styles and attitudes to clothing across the ancient world. Covering the period 500 BCE to 800 CE and drawing on sources ranging from extant garments and architectural iconography to official edicts and literature, this volume reveals Antiquity’s preoccupation with dress, which was matched by an appreciation of the processes of production rarely seen in later periods.
From a courtesan’s sheer faux-silk garb to the sumptuous purple dyes of an emperor’s finery, clothing was as much a marker of status and personal expression as it was a site of social control and anxiety. Contemporary commentators expressed alarm in equal measure at the over-dressed, the excessively ascetic or at ‘barbarian’ silhouettes.
Richly illustrated with 100 images, A Cultural History of Dress and Fashion in Antiquity presents an overview of the period with essays on textiles, production and distribution, the body, belief, gender and sexuality, status, ethnicity, visual representations, and literary representations.
Edited by:
Professor Mary Harlow (University of Leicester UK) Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 244mm,
Width: 169mm,
Weight: 480g ISBN:9781350204720 ISBN 10: 1350204722 Series:The Cultural Histories Series Pages: 256 Publication Date:15 April 2021 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Mary Harlow is Honorary Associate Professor of Ancient History, University of Leicester, UK.