Tunic
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221661715
2008-06-25T14:42:36Z
Peter Horn
897817
/* 19th century */ [[Belt (clothing)|belted]] was [[belt]]ed
[[Image:NileMosaicOfPalestrinaSoldiers.jpg|thumb|350px|Hellenistic soldiers in tunic, 100 BCE, detail of the [[Nile mosaic of Palestrina]].]]
A '''tunic''' is any of several types of [[clothing]] for the body, with or without [[sleeve]]s, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles. The name derives from the [[Latin]] ''tunica'' commonly worn by both men and women in [[Ancient Rome]], which in turn is based on earlier [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] garments.
The Roman tunica was worn by citizens and non-citizens alike; citizens, though, would wear it under the [[toga]], especially at formal occasions. The length of the garment, the presence or lack of stripes, as well as their width and ornamentation, would indicate the wearer's status in Roman society. Soldiers, slaves and manual workers generally had tunics to a little above the knee; those in more sedentary occupations to about the ankle (unless they were expecting to ride a horse, when a shorter one would be worn).
==Greek tunic==
The tunic was also worn by the ancient and [[Byzantine dress|Byzantine]] Greeks and is very similar to the [[chiton (costume)|chiton]], which looked like a [[jacket]]. In [[Ancient Greece]], a person's tunic was decorated at the hem-line to represent the [[city-state]] in which he lived. The tunics were either dyed with bright colors or bleached white.
==Roman legionary tunic==
[[Image:Tunikaklädd romersk arbetare.jpg|thumb||left|200px|Roman worker dressed in a tunic]]
Underneath his armor, the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[legionary]] wore a (usually [[wool|woollen]]) tunic. There is considerable debate today as to whether the typical Roman legionary's tunic was undyed or dyed red using [[madder]] dye; a number of works of art and written descriptions contemporary to the Roman Empire contradict each other on this point. Alternately, it is possible that Roman legionary officers wore red tunics, while rank-and-file soldiers wore undyed tunics.
The tunic originally worn by the Roman legionary consisted simply of a long piece of rectangular cloth sewed to an identical piece, with holes for the arms and head simply left unsewn. Later, it became fashionable for tunics to be produced with [[sleeve|sleeves]] and worn with [[braccae]]. This was especially the case in relatively cold northern territories such as [[Roman Britain|Britain]] and [[Germania|Germany]] where similar clothes were already in existence among the native populations. <ref>"Dress and Adornment", 485. </ref>
==Medieval tunic==
{{main|Early medieval European dress}}
[[Image:Thorsberg Tunic.jpg|thumb|200px|Germanic tunic of the 4th century found at the [[Thorsberg moor]]]]
Following the [[Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire|fall of the Roman empire]], the tunic continued to be worn with varying sleeve and hem lengths throughout Europe during the [[Middle Ages]]. Often reaching the knees or ankles, it was usually worn over underclothes consisting of a shirt (usually hip-length or longer) and drawers (usually knee- or ankle-length pants related to braccae). It may be accompanied by [[Hose_%28clothing%29|hose]]. <ref>"Dress and Adornment", 488-489. </ref>
Tunics worn during the [[Early Middle Ages]] often featured decorative [[embroidery]] or [[tablet weaving|tablet-woven braids]] along the neck, hem and wrists. <ref>"Dress and Adornment", 489. </ref><ref name="OC">''Dress in Anglo-Saxon England'', passim</ref> This was the case, for instance, with tunics worn by both rich and poor [[Anglo-Saxons]] before the [[Norman Conquest]]. <ref>Bradfield, 13. </ref><ref name="OC" />
[[Image:Francesco Hayez 044.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Young boy in tunic and trousers, 1830.]]
==19th century==
Around [[1830s in fashion|1830]], small boys began to be dressed in sashed or [[Belt (clothing)|belted]] tunics over trousers, a fashion which replaced the earlier [[skeleton suit]].
==Modern tunic==
In Western culture, its use continues primarily in a [[religious]] and [[uniform]] context. It is the primary garment worn by the [[clergy]], and members of [[religious order]]s. The religious tunic reaches to the feet. It is also the name often given to the [[coat (clothing)|coat]] worn by [[military]] and [[police]] personnel, usually close-fitting.
==See also==
*[[Clothing in the ancient world]]
*[[Clothing in ancient Rome]]
*[[Early medieval European dress]]
*[[Anglo-Saxon dress]]
*[[1830s in fashion#Children's fashion|1830s children's fashion]]
*[[1840s in fashion#Children's fashion|1840s children's fashion]]
*[[1850s in fashion#Children's fashion|1850s children's fashion]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
* Bradfield, Nancy. ''Historical Costumes of England: 1066-1968''. 3rd Edition. 1970.
* "Dress and Adornment." ''The New Encyclopedia Britannica''. 15th edition. Volume 17. 1994.
* Owen-Crocker, Gale R., ''Dress in Anglo-Saxon England'', revised edition, Boydell Press, 2004, ISBN 1-8438-3081-7
* Payne, Blanche: ''History of Costume from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century'', Harper & Row, 1965. No ISBN for this edition; ASIN B0006BMNFS
{{Clothing}}
[[Category:Ancient Roman legionary equipment]]
[[Category:Greek clothing]]
[[bs:Tunika]]
[[bg:Туника]]
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[[ka:ტუნიკა]]
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[[ja:チュニック]]
[[pl:Tunika rzymska]]
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[[ru:Туника]]
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