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Tunica
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Fabrics Linen: The predominant fabric in the Byzantine empire. Linen is the fabric created from the spun fiber of the flax plant, s-spun and tabby woven. Clavi were occasionally tapestry-woven into the fabrics. A rare type of resist-dyed tunic existed, with an indigo fabric with patterns in natural. A few tunicas exist in vegetable colors. Cotton: Imported from Egypt, cotton was a luxury fabric in Byzantium. Wool: Wool was woven and used in many weights, from fine veils to winter dalmaticas and tunicas to heavy winter cloaks. Wool was also felted in cloth for use in shoes and hats. Silk: Silk was common enough in Byzantium to be used by some of the middle classes. Still expensive, it was often combined with other fibers to make more affordable fabrics. In the sixth century Byzantium obtained the secret of the silk worm and began its own silk industry. There they wove brocades, damasks, and samite, a heavy lustrous fabric. In the 10th century silk was combined with goat or camel hair sometimes shot with gold or silver. This was called 'bougram' or 'boquerant' for the city where it was made, Boukhara. Baudekyn is another silk-based fabric, with a weft of silk and a warp of gold threads. It was sometimes tapestry woven to produce beautiful patterns. Another silk fabric, Cendal, was a thinner , less-expensive fabric woven plain or in stripes. Patterned fabrics abound in the Byzantine era. Not content with woven patterns, the Byzantines embroidered and jeweled their fabrics as well. Borrowing first from the Romans, geometric designs were filled with fantastic creatures or religious images or elaborate repeating floral motifs. In the eighth through tenth centuries interaction from the Eastern and Muslim countries influenced patterns so they became more stylized and elaborate. These influences effected the shape of garments as well, with the introduction of short stand-up collars and the widening of sleeves on dalmaticas.
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Dress Coins |