Celidya

Hello, i'm not sure it's the good section to post that but it seems the most logical here.

After googling for a while and not finding anything useful, here i come, i'm looking for some pictures (either illustrations or modern reconstitution) of the armors, clothes and various outfits peoples from the Byzantine Empire area. From peasants to nobles, from infantry to cavalry, is there any good source of that, or if not, would a thread dedicated to that be useful ? If it doesn't exist alreasy, i searched a bit but couldn't find anything relevant.

Basically i'd like to get some good grasp on how the peoples were clothed in the Empire and what kind of fashion they used to enjoy, as well as what they wanted to display in a fight (for the armies).

Thanks in advance

Psellos

From a 14th century Greek(from Peloponnesos) manuscipt, by Emmanouel Tzykandiles.


Anna Rodini, a Kastorian Greek benefactor of a local church.


Again from Tzykandyles.


The main characteristic of the late medieval Greeks was the special hat, the kamelaukion, worn by nobles and simple people:



Manouel Laskaris Chatzikis, Mystra late 15th century.


From Carpaccio. You can see in many renaissance italian paintings depictions of Greeks with their special hats and beards, many times as one of the three Magi.


From a 14th century Greek manuscript, the Tale of Alexander, with obvious anachronisms.


I have a pretty big collection of pics from that era, I think this place in a nice one to post some, if you like.

sturm

I've learned that todays patriarchs, wear cloaths similar to those that the Byzantine emperor wore, a copy so to speak, but of course without the symbols of the empire.

Earl_of_Rochester

You may find this interesting:

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - In Our Time, Byzantium
With Charlotte Roueché, Reader in Classical and Byzantine Greek, Kings College London; John Julius Norwich, author of a three part history of Byzantium: The Early Centuries, The Apogee and Decline and Fall; Liz James, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art, University of Sussex.

EoR

Celidya

Nice pictures Psello, that's the kind i was hoping to find It seems quite colorful and that the hats were indeed very common (and weird looking ). I'll try to listen to the radio though i'm quite bad at understanding english when i hear it.

Please keep them coming if you have more, that should be interesting not only for me

sturm

I like the hats by the way.

Psellos

late 15th century


INDEX



From the 11th century monastery of Osios Loukas, in Boeotia.



Manouel Panselinos, 13th century, Mount Athos, Greece (my favourite medieval painter)



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
War saints




Uploaded with ImageShack.us
14th century Peloponnesos, by Tzykandyles.

Yes, that hats were a very characteristic for the late medieval Greek appearance, and made painters and writers to notice it.

Celidya

Thank you very much, some beautiful ones here. The sitting man with the light pink shirt is quite impressive, as well as the 3 War Saints, the details are great. It brings some "life" to all the texts and stories about that era, i hope it's not too annoying for you to upload or find the links.

It makes me wonder what kind of feelings about colors they had, and if some had a meaning or were restricted to nobles or sultans. The man with pink shirt and feather caught my eye, i mean, today most western peoples see pink as a girl color, and blue for a boy, while bright colors tend to be used with caution did they have such color schemes back then, or probably different ones ?

Niki86

Depends on what Byzantine period you're interested in. In the first three or four centuries of Byzantium, the clothing was basically Roman, while during the Middle Ages I think they were wearing basically what the rest of the people in the West were wearing.