Ancient European Costume and Fashion

Ancient European Costume and Fashion

Ancient European Costume and Fashion

Ancient European Costume and Fashion

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Overview

Scrupulously researched book by noted authority traces the development of European clothing styles from prehistory to the Norman Conquest in A.D. 1066. Over 160 illustrations, including 17 full-color plates, display draped robes of classical Greece, the jewel-encrusted apparel of a 10th-century Byzantine emperor, garments of peasants, as well as footwear, hairstyles, headdresses, and jewelry.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780486407234
Publisher: Dover Publications
Publication date: 06/10/1999
Series: Dover Fashion and Costumes Series
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.19(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.69(d)

Read an Excerpt

ANCIENT EUROPEAN COSTUME AND FASHION


By HERBERT NORRIS

Dover Publications, Inc.

Copyright © 1999 Dover Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-16525-7



CHAPTER 1

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO 78 A.D.


HISTORICAL DATA

B.C.

*550,000. The end of Pliocene Age.

First Race. Fig. I. Pithecanthropos Erectus Type.

*110,000. Second Race. Fig. 2. Eoanthropos Type.

*50,000. Third Race. Neanderthal Type.

*35,000. End of Early Palæolithic Age and beginning of Late Palæolithic Age. Fourth Race. Fig. 3. Cro Magnon Type.

15,000. End of Late Palæolithic or Old Stone Age and beginning of Neolithic or New Stone Age.

3,000. The Bronze Age.

The Coming of the Gauls.

The Coming of the Phœnicians.

600. The Iron or Celtic Age.

150. The Coming of the Belgae.

55. First Roman Invasion of Britain.

54. Second Roman Invasion of Britain. Cassivellaunus.


A.D.

4. The Year of Our Lord.

5-41. Cunobelin.

43. Third Invasion of Britain. Caractacus.

51. Capture of Caractacus, who is sent prisoner to Rome.

61. Boadicea, Chieftainess of the Iceni.

62. Her defeat and death.

78. Complete subjugation of Britain.


EARLY PALÆOLITHIC AGE

To understand thoroughly the evolution of Costume it is necessary to go back many hundred thousand years before the Christian era to that period in the world's history called the

PLEISTOCENE AGE (River Beds)

or the beginning of the Early Palxolithic Age, when mankind was emerging from his earlier stage of ape.

The first race of Man (circa 550,000 B.C.) is called the "Pithecanthropos Erectus," or Ape Man (seeFig. I). They were powerfully built individuals, with low foreheads, prominent bony ridges above the eyes, and retreating chins. Their forearms were heavy and clumsy, their thigh-bones bent and their shin-bones short, so they must have been bow-legged and awkward in gait. This type of human being became differentiated from animals because development of the faculty of primitive speech enabled them to sustain thought and created memory.

A second race of Subman, named "Eoanthropos" or "Dawn Man," was in existence (circa) 110,000 B.C. Their only weapons were branches torn from the trees (seeFig. 2).

A third race, also Subman, Neanderthal Type, existed approximately 50,000 B.C. These people lived in caves and under the shelter of rock ledges. Their implements were made by chipping flints and stones into required shapes.

No clothing of any kind was worn by this still subhuman, half-animal people: not even the skins of animals, for they had not acquired sufficient skill to utilise them.

The taming of animals had not yet begun. Man was still at war with the creatures that inhabited his savage surroundings; his potential friends and servants he regarded merely as food, and most animals were classified in this simple manner. They were there to contribute to his physical support, by providing flesh, blood and the marrow of their bones, to satisfy his appetite. Self-preservation, and, later, the business of food-getting, developed man's skill as a hunter; and his skill was essentially a mental quality, for he planned the destruction of beasts that were physically infinitely superior to him.

Pits and snares were his counter to teeth and claws; and such primitive mental efforts developed the power, and ultimately increased the scope and outlook of the early men of those far-away times, laying the foundation of primitive culture and opening up possibilities of progress. Reliance on instinct was replaced by definitely constructive mental effort, and thought progressed. Thought widened racial experience.


THE LATE PALÆOLITHIC AGE OR OLD STONE AGE

Circa 35,000-15,000 B.C. This date, 35,000 B.C., is given as the end of the Early Palæolithic Age and beginning of the Late Palæolithic Age.

A fourth race, the Cro Magnon or "True Man" Type (seeFig. 3), lived during this period, and was akin to the Eskimo of the present day. These people occupied the cave-dwellings of their predecessors, but led a much freer life in the open.

First sense of art. Even in these wild and crude surroundings, a dawning appreciation of the embellishments of life is apparent in the carving and decoration of weapons and implements still extant; and, as seen in cave wall paintings, indicates a distinct sense of beauty, and the ability to copy beauty in nature.

Garments. During the whole of this period, weaving was entirely unknown. Garments, when worn, consisted of the skins of animals wrapped round the body of the wearer.


THE NEOLITHIC OR NEW STONE AGE: Circa 10,000 B.C.

The people of this period constituted a fifth race of mankind, of moderate stature and slender proportions. Those who resided on the western side of the island now known as Great Britain were dark, and of the Iberian type. Those on the eastern side were fair, and very like the Gauls (seeFig. 4).

Arms and weapons. Flints and other hard stones, worked into fine points and edges by a process of chipping, formed the spear-heads and knife-blades with which these prehistoric warriors fought their adversaries and hunted their prey.

The spear-heads were bound by thongs of hide to strong wooden poles. Axe-heads, with holes for their hafts, were treated in the same way. The knife-blades had holes worked into them, and were fastened to wooden or bone handles by wooden pegs (seeFig. 4).

Javelin-heads were made of horn, either with smooth, sharp edges finishing in a point, or barbed in several places. These were bound to poles by threads of sinew.

Bows and arrows were extensively used, especially in the chase. Arrow-heads were very skilfully shaped out of flint and bone, with grooves for fastening them on to the shafts. It is even suggested that these people poisoned their arrows, as grooves, apparently for that purpose, have been found in some of them.

In the later Stone Age, spear-heads, knife-blades, and so forth, were no longer sharpened merely by chipping, but by grinding, and finished off with a polish, and were made in various technically perfect forms. Suitable handles were regarded as especially important, and the stone implements were provided with a hole, notch or groove for fixing.

Dwellings. This race made dwellings by digging pits. The earth was thrown up all round, forming a small breastwork. In the centre of the pit a stout upright, or branch of a tree, was raised, and this supported other branches, radiating from the centre to the top of the mound to form a roof, which was covered or thatched with bracken, twigs, etc., and often covered with earth. From the outside these pit-huts had the appearance of molehills. The burying places (tumuli) were similar in outward appearance. The more important tumuli enclosed chambers built of colossal blocks of stone piled one upon another, and these were the temples, as well as the burying places, of these prehistoric people. The admirable construction of these tumuli proves that the builders of the time were little less dexterous than the Egyptians in transporting and piling masses of stone.

Dawn of domestic crafts. Many things have been found in these tumuli which reveal an advance in the evolution of clothing. Scrapers of flint and bone tell us that the men of the Stone Age knew how to dress skins for use as clothing. Bone needles with eyes, and fine awls, are evidence of a knowledge of the art of sewing. They knew how to make cords, by twisting the sinews of the reindeer, and impressions and indentations made by cords are conspicuous on their horn and bone implements.

The art of plaiting was understood, and this is seen in the design of primitive ornaments.

From the same sources we find many implements for domestic use, mostly made of bone and reindeer horn, including groove-like or hollow spoon-shaped pieces which were used evidently for cooking and eating.

Reindeer horn was very skilfully worked into shape and decorated by a tool which was simply a blunt-edged, saw-shaped stone.

Leather bottles, made of the skins of small animals stripped off whole without a seam, were no doubt in use to carry liquids.

First garment: the shirt. Their scanty clothing, formed of the skins of animals, now began to assume some shape, the skins being sewn together by needles of bone and threads of sinews (see Diagram 1); and so we arrive at the first TUNIC, the oldest article of apparel, and ancestor of the shirt of to-day.

How the tunic was made. During the late Stone Age the tunic was simply two pieces of skin, with the hair worn either inside or out, laced together on the shoulders by sinews, and fastened round the waist by another piece of hide. Later, the two pieces were sewn along the top, leaving a hole for the head and a slit in front. After this, the sides were sewn up, completing the tunic. If the skin was large enough, only a hole was cut in the centre for the head, one portion of it hanging in front, the other behind. A girdle of hide or sinew-cord confined it at the waist.

Arms and legs were left bare, but ornaments were very important and characteristic. These were the teeth of dogs, wolves, horses, oxen, bears and boars, threaded on cords of sinews into necklaces and bracelets. The popularity of such ornaments may be gauged by the fact that imitations of them were often worn; and bones and reindeer horn were carved into ornamental plaques, circular and square, and basket-shaped, shuttle-like and chisel-shaped beads. These were also fashioned into eardrops.

Hair. Both men and women wore their hair long and flowing; and although there was no attempt to arrange it in any particular style, they took care of it, presumably, as many neat little combs made of boxwood, and hairpins of bone, have been found in the remains of the dwellings of these primitive people. It was the general habit for the men to wear long beards and moustaches.


THE BRONZE AGE

3,000 B.C.-600 B.C.

"The Bronze Age" denotes the period that began when bronze replaced stone in the making of weapons. The classification of various ages as Stone, Bronze, and Iron should not be regarded as a strictly accurate division of definite epochs. There must have been much overlapping in the use of different materials, and stone implements of superior finish are often found in association with early bronze work.

At this period the men were tall of stature and round-headed. Later, these British savages, as they still were, got into communication with their neighbours on the other side of the water—the Gauls, a race of superior culture, who were in closer touch with Eastern civilisation.

The Gauls in France were called by the Romans Galli or Celtæ = Celts, Greek Galatæ (see Greece, p. 27). Originally the Gauls came with the rest of the great drift of Celtic races from Asia, at some remote period, and in their journey overran and ultimately occupied a part of Western Europe.

In the sixth century before the Christian era they settled in the section of Europe we know as France; and their settlement involved the subjugation of the Iberian peoples who had been the previous holders of the land.

These Gauls were of fair complexion, blue-eyed and light-haired, brave and intelligent; and they favoured brilliant colours and barbaric display. They were ruled by a body of priests called Druids (Drui=the Celtic for oak tree), and were divided into small tribes or clans, headed by chiefs.

The Phcenicians (600 B.C.) were a people of higher culture than the Gauls, and are supposed to have visited Britain for tin; and, in return, they bartered the goods they had brought from their native country at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This is practically the first instance of the import of merchandise into Britain.

The art of weaving now began to be understood, and many primitive weaving implements of this age have been found; but the distaff and loom do not seem to have been yet introduced into Britain. However, the British were able to produce a certain coarse material from the flax which they had but lately learnt to grow, so by now they were not wholly dependent on the skins of animals for clothing (seeFigs. 5 and 6).

The potter's art was known throughout Europe during this period; but at first it was practised entirely by hand, without the aid of the potter's wheel. The simple decoration in use consisted merely of incisions or impressions made with the fingers on the upper edge. The clay of the outside of the vessels acquired a bright red colour through burning, whereas the inside remained a greyish black. Towards the end of this period pottery was distinguished by an artistic finish and beauty of form, and geometrical designs were generally incised on the surfaces.

These clay vessels are elementary examples of coloured decoration. the incised dots and strokes being filled in with a white substance in contrast with the bright red ground-work and black interior.

A handle of the simplest form now appears like a wart projecting from the side of the vessel, pierced with a narrow opening to allow a cord to be passed through.


THE CELTIC OR IRON AGE

600 B.C.-A.D. 78

[Reginald Hughes says the date of the coming of the Celts to Britain is a matter of some controversy, and that the Iron Age could not have been many centuries old at the time of Cæsar's landing, for bronze was not wholly superseded.]


When Pytheas, the Greek explorer (the first educated visitor to these shores), arrived in the middle of the fourth century B.C., the Celts were in occupation of the country.

The British Celts had migrated from Gaul, and were split up into two races. Those living in the southern part of Britain were as civilised as their neighbours and kinsmen, the Gauls or Celtæ of France; those living in the north were in the wildest state of nature, and their descendants came to be known as the Caledonians and Picts.

There do not seem to have been many differentiating features in the dress of the various races of Continental Celts. The Gauls were the chief peoples of the Celts, so a description of the Gaulish dress must suffice. Their costume differed chiefly from the classic dress by the addition of a covering for the legs.

It must have been at this period that the Gaulish element was greatly diffused by intermarriage with the Britons, as we are told by classic writers of the time that "the Britons in their manners partly resemble the Gauls" (Strabo), that they "are near" and " like" them (Tacitus), and "fought armed after the Gaulish manner" (Pomponius Mela).

Henceforth the Gauls and their descendants living in Britain will be designated


THE CELTS

Pytheas tells us that they were a tall people, with red or fair hair, whose implements were made of iron instead of bronze. He noticed many indications of a culture greater than he had expected. But until shortly before this time there can be little doubt that their dress was conspicuous by its absence. In fact, they went absolutely naked in the warmer seasons of the year, staining their bodies with a kind of blue dye called "woad"; in the winter months only, the skins of animals were used as clothing. Tattooing, in lines and curves, was an ornamentation much in favour, and was considered a mark of nobility.

Dwellings. The Celts dwelt in huts made of wattle-work and daub, above ground, circular in shape, and with pointed roofs. They tilled the earth and were proficient in agriculture, their wealth consisting chiefly of great herds of cattle. Navigation began to be understood; and the rivers, lakes and sea were traversed in canoes of definite boat-shape, propelled by oar and sail.

Vehicles. The first vehicle in Britain makes its appearance during this age, in the form of a primitive two-wheeled wooden chariot, open in front, having, between two small shaggy ponies, a wide pole on which the driver or charioteer stood. In battle, scythes were attached to the axles of the wheels.

Coinage, copied from that used in Eastern Europe, was in use about 200 B.C.—an indication that the Celts had advanced to a considerable degree of civilisation through their intercourse with the Gallic and Phœnician merchants, a fact noted by Posidonius the Stoic two and a quarter centuries after Pytheas visited the land. Although somewhat primitive, these coins afford details of portraits and headgear of officials of the time.

Their cloth, woven from wool and flax, is described by Pliny (50 A.D.) as being of the texture of thick, coarse felt, and some of much finer make.

By this time the Celts in Britain and the Gauls in France excelled in the art of dyeing cloth in many colours: purple, scarlet, yellow, brown, and, above all, flaming red.


(Continues...)

Excerpted from ANCIENT EUROPEAN COSTUME AND FASHION by HERBERT NORRIS. Copyright © 1999 Dover Publications, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication,
PUBLISHER'S NOTE,
FOREWORD,
FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION,
Table of Figures,
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - IN HALF-TONE AND LINE,
CHAPTER I - FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO 78 A.D.,
CHAPTER II - CLASSIC GREECE, 600-146 B.C.,
CHAPTER III - ROME,
CHAPTER IV - THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE1,
CHAPTER V,
CHAPTER VI,
CHAPTER VII - THE ANGLO-SAXONS AND THE ENGLISH,
GENERAL INDEX - NOTE.—Page references in heavy type refer to Illustrations,
INDEX OF NAMES,

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