Etruscan Dress

by Larissa Bonfante

Overview

In this study Larissa Bonfante traces the development of Etruscan dress from the eighth to the fifth century B.C.E., using as evidence actual remnants of costumes, sculptures and other artistic representations, and literary passages dealing with the subject. Bonfante explores Near Eastern influences on Etruscan dress as well as the relationships of Greek and Roman styles to Etruscan styles. She also addresses the problem of determining which garments were actually worn and which were only artistic conventions. In addition, by tracing the origin of each style of dress, she provides a chronology of Etruscan relations with the Near East and the cities of Greece.

For this paperback edition, an updated bibliographical essay discusses the latest research and discoveries in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801874130
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/31/2003
Edition description:	second edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.61(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Larissa Bonfante is a professor of classics at New York University. She is the author of Etruscan Mirrors and Etruscan Life and Afterlife.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronological Table of Greek and Etruscan Dress
Chapter 1. Fabrics and Patterns
Chapter 2. Perizoma and Belts
Chapter 3. Chiton and Tunic
Chapter 4. Mantles
Chapter 5. Shoes
Chapter 6. Hats, Hair Styles, and Beards
Chapter 7. Foreign Influences and Local Styles
Appendix I: Strange Costumes and Special Problems
Appendix II: Vocabulary

Editorial Reviews

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is its comparisons of Etruscan dress to Greek and Near Eastern, especially Cypriote, antecedents. Likewise, her presentations of the contrasts between Greek and Etruscan, as well as between Roman and Etruscan dress, neatly pinpoints and summarizes the stylistic differences.
—American Journal of Archaeology

Highlights include judiciously selected illustrations, a superb, up-to-date bibliography, and a remarkably concise, informative chronological table of Greek and Etruscan dress.
—Library Journal

A fine introduction to a very complex area which has received too little attention in the past. The material is rich and varied; the argument is learned, intricate, and wide ranging . . . This is a major work of scholarship, and well deserves a place among the indispensable works in English on Etruscan topics.
—Archaeological News

This is still the only book on its subject . . . Bonfante's encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiasms make the Etruscans accessible to anyone who wants to find out what they were like.
—David Ridgway, Times Higher Education Supplement

Essential for any teacher or student interested in the Etruscans. For students, moreover, it serves as a model on how to 'read' archaeological finds of fabric and representations of garments in order to elicit valuable insights into Etruscan culture.
—Judith Lynn Sebesta, New England Classical Journal

Bonfante's new bibliography is useful and shows clearly that new generations of scholars are active in the field of textile and dress studies.
—L. B. van der Meer, BABesch

From the Publisher

Essential for any teacher or student interested in the Etruscans. For students, moreover, it serves as a model on how to 'read' archaeological finds of fabric and representations of garments in order to elicit valuable insights into Etruscan culture.

New England Classical Journal - Judith Lynn Sebesta

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is its comparisons of Etruscan dress to Greek and Near Eastern, especially Cypriote, antecedents. Likewise, her presentations of the contrasts between Greek and Etruscan, as well as between Roman and Etruscan dress, neatly pinpoints and summarizes the stylistic differences.

American Journal of Archaeology

Bonfante's new bibliography is useful and shows clearly that new generations of scholars are active in the field of textile and dress studies.

BABesch - L. B. van der Meer

This is still the only book on its subject . . . Bonfante's encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiasms make the Etruscans accessible to anyone who wants to find out what they were like.

Times Higher Education Supplement - David Ridgway

A fine introduction to a very complex area which has received too little attention in the past. The material is rich and varied; the argument is learned, intricate, and wide ranging . . . This is a major work of scholarship, and well deserves a place among the indispensable works in English on Etruscan topics.

Archaeological News

Bonfante's new bibliography is useful and shows clearly that new generations of scholars are active in the field of textile and dress studies.

— L. B. van der Meer

BABesch

Essential for any teacher or student interested in the Etruscans. For students, moreover, it serves as a model on how to 'read' archaeological finds of fabric and representations of garments in order to elicit valuable insights into Etruscan culture.

— Judith Lynn Sebesta

New England Classical Journal

This is still the only book on its subject... Bonfante's encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiasms make the Etruscans accessible to anyone who wants to find out what they were like.

— David Ridgway

Times Higher Education Supplement