The basic item of clothing was a 'peplos' #1 dress or gown. This is usually a tubular garment (although it can be just a rectangle of cloth) clasped at the shoulders by a pair of brooches, leaving the arms uncovered.   This type of garment has been worn by women in countless cultures from the earliest times and was clearly a feature of Germanic costume for many centuries.   Excavated examples vary in size from 54" (1.37m) to 66" (1.68m) in height and 94" (2.40m) to 106" (2.68m) in circumference.   It is interesting to note that these measurements correspond closely to the measurements of the two cloaks found in German bogs, so the cloaks could have been worn as open sided peplos dresses (it also gives us a clue as to the size and type of loom in use). 

The height of these dresses would mean that the top of the dress could be folded over into a cape and/or the dress could be heavily bloused over a girdle, both features seen in continental pictorial representations.   Judging from the remains from Anglo-Saxon graves it seems likely that the top was not folded, but any excess would have been taken up by blousing.

There are numerous ways of wearing a peplos dress, involving anything from one to three brooches, although two is definitely the most common number.    It seems the early Germanic settlers were fond of a symmetrical look and most of the pairs of brooches are identical, or at least very similar.   The girdle is usually worn around the waist or hips, although at least one source shows the women wearing the gown pulled in just below the breasts, then hanging loose, an arrangement which may have been comfortable during early pregnancy.   The folds of the gown usually conceal the belt, but a few sources show a second visible belt.   This garment was usually worn ankle length, although, if worn over an underdress, it may sometimes have been worn calf length.    These garments were often edged with tablet weave, at least at the top edge, and probably sometimes also at the bottom. 

The style of brooches worn #2 seem to form a regional pattern: quoit brooches were worn only south of the Thames and, like the equal armed brooch (which was common in Anglian areas), were known only in the fifth century. 

Radiate headed brooches, bird-shaped brooches and inlaid brooches were largely characteristic of Kent in the sixth century, although a few radiate headed brooches occur in other areas too. 

Small Cruciform brooches were sometimes worn in pairs in Anglian areas from the fifth to seventh centuries. Annular brooches were especially favoured by the Northumbrian and East Angles from the late fifth to the seventh centuries. 

Saucer brooches were most popular in Saxon areas from the late fifth to the seventh century, and seem to be a development of the applied brooch which first appeared in North Germany in the fourth century and continued in use (in Germany and England) until the sixth century.    Disc brooches were a uniquely southern English development with no continental counterpart which began in the fifth century and continued throughout the sixth century.   A specialized type of disc brrooch, the openwork brooch was popular in the south midlands at the same time. 

Long brooches, in all their forms seem to have been fairly universal in a wide variety of forms from the early fifth until the late sixth or early seventh century.

Some poorer female graves have lacked the pairs of shoulder brooches, and it is possible that in these cases the two edges were sewn together, rather than pinned with brooches. 

Peplos gowns were usually made of wool, most often a twill although a few were may have been made of linen.   We do not know what name was given to this garment, although slop and wealca are the most likely.

The peplos gown could be worn on its own, although it was often worn over a sleeved underdress.

Method of pining tubular garment as peplos gown.
Relatively short peplos gown worn pinned at shoulders and belted.	Peplos gown worn pinned at shoulders and belted, with excess length folded over to make a 'cape'.
Peplos gown worn pinned at shoulders and belted, with excess length bloused over a girdle then secured with second belt.	Germanic women depected wearing peplos type gowns on the 4th century Marcus Column in Rome.
Germanic women depected wearing peplos type gowns on the 4th century Marcus Column in Rome.

Making a 'Peplos' Gown
After a cloak, this has to be the simplest garment to make.    It is quite literally a large rectangle of cloth usually (but not always) sewn together along its shortest edges.   If not sewn, then the opening would run down one side. #3   Some gowns were woven in a tube, negating the need for any sewing.   The art of dressing in a peplos gown is not in the making, but in the pinning of brooches and the belting.   There are many subtle variations possible in the wearing of this garment.

Peplos gown worn with underdress, pinned at both shoulders with annular brooches.	Peplos gown worn without underdress,  pinned at both shoulders with small-long brooches.
Peplos gown worn with underdress, pinned at both shoulders with saucer brooches.	Peplos gowns worn with underdress,  pinned at both shoulders with brooches.   Both are belted and the example on the left is heavily bloused over the belt and fastened with small-long brooches.
Peplos gown worn with underdress, pinned at both shoulders with small-long brooches.
Peplos gown worn without underdress, pinned at one shoulder with single brooch.   This belting arrangment was an experiment based on Roman examples.	Peplos gown worn without underdress, pinned at left shoulder with single brooch and no belting.

1   Although the term Peplos is generally used to describe this type of gown, it properly refers to the item worn in ancient Greece, and the term was not used by the Anglo-Saxons.   back

2   We will be looking in more detail at the different styles of brooches and other jewellery in a later lesson.   back

3   Although this sounds quite risqué, when pinned at the shoulder and belted at the waist it is not too revealing!   back
 
 

Having problems with this webpage contact: questions@costumeclassgallery.com