Clothing

toc = = ﻿Ancient Indian and Ancient Greek Clothing

= = = = = = = = = **Clothing** = Ancient India and Ancient Greece has many differences and similarities. Especially in clothing. Not only do these two places share the same time in existence, but they also share the same styles in their clothing.

**Main Points**
-Women clothing in Ancient India. -Women clothing in Ancient Greece. -Men clothing in Ancient India. -Men clothing in Ancient Greece. -Accessories for India and Greece clothing. -Comparison of India and Greece clothing.
 * >  || Men ||> Women ||
 * Indian || Dhoti || Sari ||
 * < Greek ||< Tunic ||< Tunic ||

**Indian Clothing**
Ancient Indian clothing is very distinct and one could tell if one was Indian by the clothing that he or she was wearing. First, women wore a dress called a sari. A sari is a Sanskrit word meaning cloth. Women wore saris in many different ways. They could have worn it as a skirt that drapes over the shoulder, or as a veil. Traditionally, younger women wore more colorful saris than the older women. In fact, some saris were five to six yards long, but others could be up to nine yards long for wider or taller women. Second, men wore a large and long cloth called a dhoti. A dhoti is normally wrapped around the legs like pants, but were shorter than saris. Both men and women also wore trousers called churidar. Third, when it came to accessories both men and women wore many of them. Fortunate women wore an abundance of different gold and silver. An accessory that men wore was a long cloths wrapped around their heads as a turban. Ancient Indian clothing is very unique.

**Greek Clothing**
Ancient Greek clothing has many different characteristics to it, shown in many different ways making it very unique. First of all, women wore a large piece of cloth, that had many different names such as: Doric Chiton, Ionic Chiton, Himation, Chlamys, and Peplos. The cloth was normally either wool or linen, and they were wrapped around the body and pinned in various ways to keep in place. A belt was normally worn to keep the dress closed. When it was cold, Greeks would wear wool cloaks or blankets to keep warm, but women’s dresses always came down to their ankles out of respect. Secondly, men mostly wore tunics, which were shorter than the dresses that the women would wear and their legs were bare. Children also wore short tunics because it was easier for them to run around and play. Lastly, Ancinet Greeks were found wearing accessories on a daily basis. Greek women found that a sun tan was unattractive, so to keep away from the sun rays, they would wear a round, flat disk that sat on the top of their head as a hat. Greek women would always keep their hair long unless they were a slave. Normally, Greek women’s hair is piled on the back of the head and tied together by multiple ribbons and a net. Also, men, women, and children all wore leather sandals outside and they were barefoot inside. Some men did not even wear sandals and were barefoot most of their life. The Ancient Greek clothing has different and common styles for both men and women.

**Differences**
Ancient Indian and Greek clothing is similar, yet in some ways they are very different. As an example, men’s clothing is very different. Ancient Greek men wore tunics, which is a short dress, and Ancient Indian men wore dhotis, a long cloth worn as pants. Also, Greek women did not wear as much jewelry as Ancient Indian women wear. Ancient Greek women wear more decorative items in their hair rather than around their neck and on their fingers. Another difference is the design and kind of leather sandals they wore. Ancient Indians wore a white leather sandal with intricate designs. The shoes also had very thick soles so that the person wearing them could look taller. In summary, Ancient Greeks wore regular leather shoes that had a thin sole. Ancient Greek and Indian clothing has very little differences.

**Similarities**
Ancient Indian clothing and ancient Greek clothing have a lot in common. Saris are very similar to the dresses that Greek women wore because styles both include characteristics including draping the cloth over the shoulder and many other ways. Also, saris and Greek dresses were both sometimes colorful and patterned. The Greek dress, Doric Chiton, was dyed indigo and frequently patterned. Saris for younger women normally had bright, colorful patterns and themes. Also, the dresses length were very similar. Saris were normally five to six yards long and Greek women’s dresses were always down to ankles. Another similarity is that both Greek and Indian men and women wore leather sandals. Ancient Indian and Greek clothing is very extraordinary, yet they have some aspects in their clothing that is similar. =Bibliography=


 * "Indian Clothing - History for Kids!" Kidipede - History for Kids! April 28th, 2010. .
 * "Greek Clothing - History for Kids!" Kidipede - History for Kids! Web. 04 May 2011. 


 * Anne Pearson, __Ancient Greece__, NY, Doring Kindersley, 2000, 42 and 43.
 * "Gupta Empire." //MrDonn.org - Ancient India//. Web. 4 May 2011. .
 * "Greek Clothing." //Cwu.edu//. Web. 4 May 2011. 