TŬNĬCA

( χιτών , dim. χιτωνίσκος, χιτώνιον ), an under-garment. (1) Greek. The chiton was the only kind of ἔνδυμα , or under-garment worn by the Greeks. Of this there were two kinds, the Dorian and Ionian. The Dorian chiton, as worn by males, was a short woollen shirt, without sleeves; the Ionian was a long linen garment, with sleeves. The former seems to have been originally worn throughout the whole of Greece; the latter was brought over to Greece by the Ionians of Asia. The Ionic chiton was commonly worn at Athens by men during the Persian wars, but it appears to have entirely gone out of fashion for the male sex about the time of Pericles, from which time the Dorian chiton was the under-garment universally adopted by men through the whole of Greece. The distinction between the Doric and Ionic chiton still continued in the dre of women. The Spartan virgins only wore this one garment, and had no upper kind of clothing, whence it is sometimes called Himation [ Pallium ] as well as Chiton . They appeared in the company of men without any further covering; but the married women never did so without wearing an upper garment. This Doric chiton was made, as stated above, of woollen stuff; it was without sleeves, and was fastened over both shoulders by clasps or buckles ( πόρπαι , περόναι ), which were often of considerable size. It was frequently so short as not to reach the knee. It was only joined together on one side, and on the other was left partly open or slit up ( σχιστός χίτων ), to allow a free motion of the limbs. The following cut represents an Amazon with a chiton of this kind: some parts of the figure appear incomplete, as the original is mutilated. The Ionic chiton, on the contrary, was a long and loose garment, reaching to the feet ( ποδήρης ), with wide sleeves ( κόραι ), and was usually made of linen. The sleeves, however, appear generally to have covered only the upper part of the arm; for in ancient works of art we seldom find the sleeve extending farther than the elbow, and sometimes not so far. The sleeves were sometimes slit up, and fastened together with an elegant row of brooches. The Ionic chiton, according to Hero dot us, was originally a Carian dre , and pa ed over to Athens from Ionia, as has been already remarked. The women at Athens originally wore the Doric chiton, but were compelled to change it for the Ionic, after they had killed with the buckles or clasps of their dre es the single A then i an who had returned alive from the expedition against Aegina, because there were no buckles or clasps required in the Ionic dre . The preceding cut represents the Muse Thalia wearing an Ionic chiton. The peplum has fallen off her shoulders, and is held up by the left hand. Both kinds of dre were fastened round the middle with a girdle, and as the Ionic chiton was usually longer than the body, part of it was drawn up so that the dre might not reach farther than the feet, and the part which was so drawn up overhung or overlapped the girdle, and was called κόλπος .—There was a peculiar kind of dre , which seems to have been a species of double chiton, called Diplois ( διπλοΐς ), Diploid i on ( διπλοΐδιον ), and Hem i diploid i on ( ἡμιδιπλοΐδιον ). IMG:6459379820872971714_ill401.jpg: Diploid i a, double Chitons. (Museo Borbonico, vol. ii. tav. 4, 6.) It appears not to have been a separate article of dre , but merely the upper part of the cloth forming the chiton, which was larger than was required for the ordinary chiton, and was therefore thrown over the front and back. The following cuts will give a clearer idea of the form of this garment than any description. Since the Diploid i on was fastened over the shoulders by means of buckles or clasps, it was called Epomis ( ἐπωμίς ), which is supposed by some writers to have been only the end of the garment fastened on the shoulder. The chiton was worn by men next their skin; but females were accustomed to wear a chemise ( χιτώνιον ) under their chiton. It was the practice among most of the Greeks to wear an himation, or outer garment, over the chiton, but frequently the chiton was worn alone. A person who wore only a chiton was called μονοχίτων ( οἰοχίτων in Homer), an epithet given to the Spartan virgins. In the some way, a person who wore only an himation, or outer garment, was called ἀχίτων . The A then i an youths, in the earlier times, wore only the chiton, and when it became the fashion, in the Peloponnesian war, to wear an outer garment over it, it was regarded as a mark of effeminacy.—(2) Roman. The Tunica of the Romans, like the Greek chiton, was a woollen under-garment, over which the toga was worn. It was the Indumentum or Indutus , as opposed to the Amictus , the general term for the toga, pallium, or any other outer garment. [ Amictus . ] The Romans are said to have had no other clothing originally but the toga; and when the tunic was first introduced, it was merely a short garment without sleeves, and was called Colobium . It was considered a mark of effeminacy for men to wear tunics with long sleeves ( manicatae ) and reaching to the feet ( talares ). The tunic was girded ( cinct a ) with a belt or girdle around the waist, but it was usually worn loose, without being girded, when a person was at home, or wished to be at his ease. Hence we find the terms cinct us , praecinctus , and succinct us , applied, like the Greek εὔζωνος , to an active and diligent person, and discinct us to one who was idle or di olute. The form of the tunic, as worn by men, is represented in many woodcuts in this work. In works of art it usually terminates a little above the knee; it has short sleeves, covering only the upper part of the arm, and is girded at the waist: the sleeves sometimes, though le frequently, extend to the hands.—Both sexes at Rome usually wore two tunics, an outer and an under, the latter of which was worn next the skin, and corresponds to our shirt and chemise. The under tunics were called Subucula and Indusium , the former of which is supposed to be the name of the under tunic of the men, and the latter of that of the women: but this is not certain. The word Interula was of later origin, and seems to have been applied equally to the under tunic of both sexes. It is doubtful whether the Supparus or Supparum was an outer or an under garment. Persons sometimes wore several tunics, as a protection against cold: August us wore four in the winter, besides a subucula. As the dre of a man usually consisted of an under tunic, an outer tunic, and the toga, so that of a woman, in like manner, consisted of an under tunic, an outer tunic, and the palla. The outer tunic of the Roman matron was properly called stola [ Stola ], and is represented in the woodcut on p. 355 ; but the annexed woodcut, which represents a Roman empre in the character of Concord i a, or Abundant i a, gives a better idea of its form. Over the tunic or stola the palla is thrown in many folds, but the shape of the former is still distinctly shown. The tunics of women were larger and longer than those of men, and always had sleeves; but in ancient paintings and statues we seldom find the sleeves covering more than the upper part of the arm. Sometimes the tunics were adorned with golden ornaments called Leria . Poor people, who could not afford to purchase a toga, wore the tunic alone, whence we find the common people called Tunic at i . A person who wore only his tunic was frequently called Nudus . Respecting the clavus lat us and the clavus angustus, worn on the tunics of the senators and equites respectively, see Clavus Latus , Clavus Angustus . When a triumph was celebrated, the conqueror wore, together with an embroidered toga ( Toga picta ), a flowered tunic ( Tunica palmata ), also called Tunica Jovis , because it was taken from the temple of Jupiter Capitol in us. Tunics of this kind were sent as presents to foreign kings by the senate. IMG:6459379820872971714_ill402a.jpg: Roman Tunic. (Visconti, Monument i Gabini, n. 34.)