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Tunica
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Accessories Accessories to wealthier Byzantine dress include: Sudarium, an elaborate embroidered handkerchief; contabulatim, a long embroidered cloth, sometimes fan-folded and wound around the body; pallium, a very rich, hem length, jeweled court tabard, worn by men; and the superhumeral, an elaborate gold embroidered and jeweled collar edged in pearls. Occasionally the edges would be trimmed with drop pearls. When extensions were added to the superhumeral, it was called an ecclesiastical pallium. The men's pallium would be hem length in front and much longer in the back. The back of the pallium was draped around the torso and hung over the left arm, like Roman togas. The only woman to wear a superhumeral or pallium was the empress. The Pallium and Superhmeral are the garments that are most recognizable as Byzantine Dress. They are present on most Imperial paintings and mosaics. See also the Byzantine angel on the Home page. Hats worn in Byzantium are mostly limited to royalty, with ladies choosing to wear elaborate hair styles, much like the Romans. Ladies hair styles were braided or coiled, wound around the head or at the nape. Hairnets were also worn, sometimes jeweled. Loose curls often framed the face. Men's hair styles are chin-length page-boy cuts. Facial hair of all types were seen. The few women's hat portrayed were a stuffed and jeweled roll or a pleated fillet. Most ladies wore veils instead. The Russian-styled cap worn by upper classes of both men and women was brimless with nearly upright sides, richly adorned with gems. Also seen hanging from each side of these hats are three strands of pearls, called stemma. Stemma were also seen hanging from the ladies hair or stuffed roll hats. Little is known of Byzantine footwear, and no examples have been excavated. Women's shoes are portrayed as little points protruding from under gowns. Some of these shoes are ornamented, possible with pearls or gems. A mosaic of the Empress Theodora shows in red, slipper-like shoes. Men's shoes appear slipper-like as well, over stockings when the tunics were short. Emperor Justinian's shoes in the Ravenna Mosaic are cut away on the fore foot to reveal his stockings underneath and appear to be covered with jewels.
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Dress Coins |