A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian LifeDavis, William Stearns
History
A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life
Davis, William Stearns
Athens (Greece) -- Social life and customs
Children wear miniature imitations of the dress of their elders. Boys
are taught to toughen their bodies by refraining from thick garments in
cold weather. In hot weather they can frequently be seen playing about
with very little clothing at all!
36. Footwear and Head Coverings.—Upon his feet the Athenian frequently
wears nothing. He goes about his home barefoot; and not seldom he
enjoys the delight of running across the open greensward with his
unsandaled feet pressing the springing ground; but normally when he
walks abroad, he will wear _sandals_, a simple solid pair of open soles
tied to his feet by leather thongs passing between the toes. For hard
country walking and for hunting there is something like a high leather
boot,[*] though doubtless these are counted uncomfortable for ordinary
wear. As for the sandals, simple as they are, the Attic touch of
elegance is often upon them. Upon the thongs of the sandals there is
usually worked a choice pattern, in some brilliant color or even gilt.
[*] Actors, too, wore a leather boot with high soles to give them extra
height—the _cothurnus_.
The Athenians need head coverings even less than footgear. Most of
them have thick hair; baldness is an uncommon affliction; everybody is
trained to walk under the full glare of Helios with little discomfort.
Of course certain trades require hats, _e.g._ sailors who can be almost
identified by their rimless felt caps. Genteel travelers will wear
wide-brimmed hats; but the ladies, as a rule, have no headgear besides
their tastefully arranged hair, although they will partly atone for the
lack, by having a maid walk just behind them with a gorgeously
variegated parasol.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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