Dress in Mediterranean Antiquity : Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians

Insights from anthropology, religious studies, biblical studies, sociology, classics, and Jewish studies are here combined to provide a cutting-edge guide to dress and religion in the Greco-Roman World and the Mediterranean basin. Clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, and hairstyles are among the many aspects examined to show the variety of functions of dress in communication and in both establishing and defending identity.

The volume begins by reviewing how scholars in the fields of classics, anthropology, religious studies, and sociology examine dress. The second section then looks at materials, including depictions of clothing in sculpture and in Egyptian mummy portraits. The third (and largest) part of the book then examines dress in specific contexts, beginning with Greece and Rome and going on to Jewish and Christian dress, with a specific focus on the intersection between dress, clothing and religion.

By combining essays from over twenty scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds, the book provides a unique overview of different approaches to and contexts of dress in one volume, leading to a greater understanding of dress both within ancient societies and in the contemporary world.

“A book about dress is always about so much more than simply what people wore, and this volume is no exception. Readers will find chapters covering Greek, Roman, Persian, Jewish and Christian dress and appearance, from the widest range of sources and written by an international group of scholars. It is a book that crosses disciplinary boundaries so that wherever you situate yourself - classics, religious studies, fashion history, cultural studies, economics, art history - it will have something for you - just read it. Learn and enjoyx.” —MARY HARLOW, University of Leicester, UK

“Kelly Olson and Alicia J. Batten have curated a wide-ranging set of essays with breathtaking scope. Together, the pieces in this engaging volume provide a roadmap for the crucial questions that can be asked about dress, and the different means of answering them. Not only do these methodological chapters and specific examples provide new insights into age-old questions of what dress does, how it acts in the social and cultural realms, and how it constructs gender and identity, but they also foray into new queries about the materiality, sensory experience, and representation of dress. By spanning a diverse set of locations ranging from ancient Greece and Rome to Egypt, Persia and Judea (and even to some contemporary contexts!) and exploring different kinds of evidence, from texts and inscriptions to sculptures and archaeological discoveries, this book brings multiple perspectives into conversation. It illuminates the broader picture of what we can learn about the meaning and significance of clothing and its impact on bodily comportment in Antiquity.” —NAFTALI S. COHN, Concordia University, Canada; author of The Memory of the Temple and the Making of the Rabbis

“Dress in Mediterranean Antiquity is ambitious in scope, with a broad temporal and geographic range. Yet the essays cohere in interesting ways, especially concerning the social functions of dress. Individual authors interrogate the visual, material, and textual evidence for a plethora of dress practices, from hairstyles to footwear, in specific cultural contexts. Dress emerges as a primary means of constructing social identities, especially gender, age, marital status, socio-economic status, social role, ethnicity, and religion. Amply illustrated, including many photographs in color, this volume will be a valuable contribution to the burgeoning scholarship on dress in antiquity.” —MIREILLE LEE, Vanderbilt University, USA