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Dress and Personal Appearance in Late Antiquity: The Clothing of the Middle and Lower Classes

Pennick Morgan, Faith (2014) Dress and Personal Appearance in Late Antiquity: The Clothing of the Middle and Lower Classes. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.50489) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:50489)

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Language: English

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https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/01.02.50489

Abstract

This thesis examines the dress and personal appearance of members of the middle and lower classes during Late Antiquity. Although members of this social stratum are often represented in Late Antique written sources, their clothing is rarely described in any detail, nor can artistic depictions be relied upon to illustrate their garments realistically.

Information has therefore been assembled on garments and garment fragments from over 52 museum and archaeological collections, in order to assess the ways that cloth and clothing was made, embellished, cared for and recycled during this period. Together with knowledge gained by making and modelling exact replicas based on extant garments, this has enabled both the accurate depiction of the dress of ordinary people during this period, and the more precise interpretation of Late Antique descriptions and depictions of the clothed figure.

By further assessing this information using different theoretical approaches including that of ‘object biography’, this thesis goes on to explore the ways in which cultural meaning is invested in clothing, and what this tells us both about the people who made, wore and used it, and about the society of which they were a part.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
Thesis advisor: Swift, Ellen
Thesis advisor: Lavan, Luke
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.50489
Additional information: The author of this thesis has requested that it be held under closed access. We are sorry but we will not be able to give you access or pass on any requests for access. 25/05/22
Uncontrolled keywords: late antiquity, clothing, garments, costume, textiles, fabric, mending, patching, amulet, children, apotropaic re-use, tunic, cloak, mantle, wool, linen, sewing
Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CB History of civilization
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Users 1 not found.
Date Deposited: 14 Sep 2015 13:00 UTC
Last Modified: 28 Jul 2022 08:51 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/50489 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Pennick Morgan, Faith.

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