A typical “middle Byzantine” outfit

This is a detail of a more typical treatment of the outfit seen on the “Good Woman” shown on the previous page.

Her headdress, which was very common wear in Romania from the turn of the eleventh century, if not earlier, is called a σαβάνιον / savanion.¹ Its method of wrapping can be seen in a new window.

The ubiquitous woman's cape, called μάντιον / mantion, is a flat half circle, and might occasionally have rounded corners.²

The dress is a simple ἱμάτιον / himation with close-fitting sleeves, in contrast to the wide-sleeved delmatikion of the noblewoman.³ The picture below shows the embroidery at the collar and cuffs based upon tenth century craftworks.

Outfit by Edith Castro to a pattern and design by Timothy Dawson.

Notes

1. Tim Dawson, ‘Propriety, Practicality and Pleasure: the parameters of Byzantine women's dress- c.900 to c. 1204’, in a forthcoming volume edited by Lynda Garland, Dion Smythe, and Judith Herrin.

2. Mantion: De Ceremoniis, ed. I. Reiske, Bonn, 1839, p. 581.

3. Himation used for dresses: ‘Testment de la Nonne Marie’, Actes d’Iviron II, eds. Jacques Lefort, Nicholas Oikonomides, Denise Papchryssanthou, Paris, 1990, p. 179, 180.