Chlamys

The chlamys ( Greek: χλαμύς ) in ancient times was a short riding and traveling cloak, who came from Macedonia or Thessaly and soon, later spread across Greece throughout the Roman Empire; they generally consisted of a rectangular piece of cloth thrown over the left shoulder and held together on the right shoulder with a clasp.

Description and Use

The Greeks also had a Chlaina in use, which is also worn as a coat and the night was needed to cover except the chlamys. The chlamys was like the Chlaina of woolen cloth, with arms of the natural color of wool, with the rich fabric of finer and mostly black, and served especially the young men, age 20 to 18 sided horse guard in many cities and preparing for war service as outerwear.

The nobles put dressed in scarlet, the highest military people in purple Chlamydai. Later this costume went over on all stands. Decency required that you knew to swing sent over the left shoulder the mantle at overturning so that it neither front nor rear aufschleppte. From the Greeks chlamys came early to the Romans, who sagum or, paludamentum called in a slightly modified form. Here, the clasp has subsequently been getting bigger and more precious. The paludamentum featured Roman soldiers, while during the Republic and Principate as a civilian usually wore a tunic or a toga in Rome.

The soldiers who carried only the Sagum alone, so were called Chlamydai. Also when traveling, use was made of this garment. The senior officers and the Emperor wore it scarlet or purple. In late antiquity, as the toga came more and more into disuse, the chlamys was also dress in Peace: From Diocletian was basically everyone who was in the service of the Emperor, formally as a soldier (miles ); the activity in the civilian sector was now a militia, which is why the officers now wore mostly chlamys and soldiers belt ( cingulum ). Only the consuls and city prefect of Rome and Constantinople Opel still wore in the 6th century during public appearances basically the toga.