Greek Dress from the Inscriptional Evidence

Greek inscriptions offer a range of evidence about dress in the Greek world, from creation to context. Laws and lists of workers offer insight into the production and sale of dress objects, and even textile equipment can be marked by informative writing, such as inscribed or stamped loomweights. Inventories record a variety of dress items: Brauron and other Greek sanctuaries yield catalogues of objects dedicated by visitors, and other lists, like the auctions of confiscated Athenian property, include clothing among household items. Some inscribed regulations that cover personal appearance detail which dress items were coded as appropriate for use in Greek sanctuaries; others focus on funerary contexts, legislating both the funeral shroud and mourners’ dress. Inscribed Greek texts preserve terminology for dress and its producers, describe the types of garments and accessories that were available, and elucidate the social constructs that informed who could wear what and when.