So in light of the new Netflix TV series “Troy: Fall of an Empire” (which seems to think that Greeks wore sleeveless feather dresses) I, as a Classicist, wanted to share with you some more accurate information about what Greeks in the Trojan war would have worn. To the best of our knowledge, the Trojan war took place sometime between 1260 BCE and 1180 BCE which is during the Helladic period aka the Bronze age. First, I have we do not have a ton of surviving artifacts from this period that show us exactly what people wore, but we do have some good guesses.
Modern imaginings of the Ancient Greek world tend to focus on the Classical period (5th to 4th century BCE) from which we have been given the philosophical works of Plato, the tragedies of Sophocles, and so much more. But this is not the period in which the characters we know an love from the Iliad come from.
During the period of the Iliad, Minoan and Mycenaean cultures dominated the Greek world. Helen herself was thought to be the Queen of Mycenae, and so our image of her and her cohort must come form this period. But what did they dress like? Let’s take a look at some of the surviving works of art from this period!
(All images are of artifacts currently located in the National Archaeological museum of Athens or the Mycenaean on-site Museum).
Here is a surviving fragment of a fresco excavated during the 1960s-1970s from ancient Thera which is now modern Santorini. The section of fresco, called the “Saffron/Crocus Gatherers” is dated at 1600-1500 BCE and while this is a significant amount of time away from the Trojan war it is much closer than the Classical period. In this photo please notice the use of colours, the length and layering of the dresses, as well as the hairstyles of both figures. Bronze Age Greek women in frescoes are shown to have either long twisted and curled hairstyles or shaven heads as seen on the women on the right side of this particular fresco. Hair was combed and styled using bone combs alongside bobbins as well as sewing to hold in elaborate styles.
From archeological finds we also know that wealthy women would have been decked out in jewelry made of gold, ivory, and amber. Clothing would have been made from finely woven wool that was then made to shine with olive oil.
Next let’s look at a sculpture! This is an ivory sculpture of two seated women and a child dated much closer to the Trojan war at 1400-1200 BCE and was taken from the Northern Slopes of Mycenae. This is a good representation of what characters like Helen or Clytemnestra may have worn. Note the elaborate skirt details/folds and decorated collars.
Apologies for the reflection, this picture was take with my phone! This is a sculpted face of a women dated at 1200 BCE and found during excavation of Mycenea. This is a wonderful look into the styling of an ancient women’s hair/makeup. While we do not know if this statue indicates the decoration of an average woman, we can guess that this showed how a holy/royal/noble woman may have been styled since it was discovered within a religious space. Look at the darkened eyes and the red decorative circles. Whether or not women’s skin would have been painted whiter we cannot say, but the makeup here is definitely quite elaborate. It is likely that painting oneself in white led, alongside kohl lined eyes and red adornments was done for the purpose of seeming otherworldly and/or fulfilling religious roles.
Here’s a still image from Brittany Hughes The Ancient World documentary in which they recreate the sculpture above to the best of their ability as a representation of Helen. (This is a wonderful documentary series and I recommend it)
Here’s a look at what a Greek warrior might have worn. Odysseus in the Iliad (10.260-5) is described as wearing a boar tusk helmet very similar to this one from the 14th century BCE. While this type of armor had disappeared by Homer’s era, his descriptions of the clothing worn matches our current archaeological findings of Bronze Age Greece.
Here’s a look of a sculpture from the period showing how such a helmet would have been worn!!!
I hope you enjoyed this brief insight into Bronze Age Greek clothing! Feel free to ask questions and I’d also be happy to direct you to books/documentaries where you can learn more.
65pinkroses 