DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9841#0272
xxxviii.] cretan costume, ancient and modern. 253
Fashions change but little in the east, and the dress
of the Cretan peasant is very interesting, even at the
present day, from its resemblance to that worn by his
ancestors more than two thousand years ago. If we
view the Cretan costume in the sixteenth century, we
shall find that it still more closely resembles that of the
ancient inhabitants of the island. In the engraving on
the previous page we notice that the beard, the bow and
quiver, the sword and long knife1, were all preserved.
The ^ltwv, tunica or shirt, according as we give the
garment its Hellenic, its Roman, or its English name,
was still exposed in all its amplitude to the eye: and
Galen's description2 of the v-rro^fxara or boots, worn
by the Cretans of his time, is a sufficiently accurate
account, both of those described by Foscarini3, and of
those which I find still preserving their ancient form and
name, and alone worn by the rural population in every
part of the island.
Thevet, who visited the island near the middle of the
sixteenth century, says, that to cut off the beard was as
great an indignity, in the opinion of every Cretan, as to
1 The long sword at his side, and a knife in his girdle, were parts of every
Sfakian's dress till the year 1830.
2 Galen, Comment, in Hippocrat. de Artie, iv. 14. Vol. xvm. p. 682.
ed. Kuehn. *Eti Kai vvv ovroi daKetTai Ka-rd Ti]v ijficrepav Atrial/, Kai
Kara ti]v Kp)'jTi)v oi»x ijVtcrTa, f*eXPL KVtifJifJi /xco-jfS dv^Kuiv. ecTTi 61' iKavujs
Vtt' uutou TroAixrxioes to ocp/xa Kad' eK&TCpov to p,epoi dpLaTcpov tc Kat
oe£iop Itrov ev-reTUficvov tc Kat iota crwreTptifL^vov eiri Tote ircpaaiv, ais
lp.dvTi 6ieK(ia\\opcvaiv tuiv Tpnp-dTuiv avvdycaOai kit' a\\j|\o to Te-
Tay/xc'j/a too Sep/iaTos t/xij'fiaxa—^puiVTai ce aiirS fldXia-ra Trap' if/UK oi
KVMjyerat OtipeuovTes, iweiSlj irep iv -rpaxecri Kai dvwpdXois X"V">is dvay.
KaliwTai ttoAAokis ov Tpe'x"" p-6vov, dWd n~i)cav. ij 6" auTij Kai -roil*
Kp^Tas airi'a toioutois uiroSij fiacr I xP'l<T®aL eireicre, did -re to
Heye8q tujv 6pdw tuv ev Trj vijam Kai to's TpaxoTjjTas.
8 Foscarini, Relatione etc. "Li assomiglio quasi alii selvatichi Irlan-
desi, perche, come quelli nell' abito, et nell' aspetto, et nelle armi, sono
diversi dalli altri; cosi questi, con li capelli et barbe longhe, con stivali
alti che si ligono alia cintura, che mai li escono di gamba, portando la
camisa che li pende davanti et da driedo, con un gran pugnal davanli, et
la spada all' usanza greca vanno." The two words used by the Cretan to
denote his boots are the ancient inroBtj/iaTa, and trTtpdvia, derived from the
Italian stivale.
vol. ii. r
Fashions change but little in the east, and the dress
of the Cretan peasant is very interesting, even at the
present day, from its resemblance to that worn by his
ancestors more than two thousand years ago. If we
view the Cretan costume in the sixteenth century, we
shall find that it still more closely resembles that of the
ancient inhabitants of the island. In the engraving on
the previous page we notice that the beard, the bow and
quiver, the sword and long knife1, were all preserved.
The ^ltwv, tunica or shirt, according as we give the
garment its Hellenic, its Roman, or its English name,
was still exposed in all its amplitude to the eye: and
Galen's description2 of the v-rro^fxara or boots, worn
by the Cretans of his time, is a sufficiently accurate
account, both of those described by Foscarini3, and of
those which I find still preserving their ancient form and
name, and alone worn by the rural population in every
part of the island.
Thevet, who visited the island near the middle of the
sixteenth century, says, that to cut off the beard was as
great an indignity, in the opinion of every Cretan, as to
1 The long sword at his side, and a knife in his girdle, were parts of every
Sfakian's dress till the year 1830.
2 Galen, Comment, in Hippocrat. de Artie, iv. 14. Vol. xvm. p. 682.
ed. Kuehn. *Eti Kai vvv ovroi daKetTai Ka-rd Ti]v ijficrepav Atrial/, Kai
Kara ti]v Kp)'jTi)v oi»x ijVtcrTa, f*eXPL KVtifJifJi /xco-jfS dv^Kuiv. ecTTi 61' iKavujs
Vtt' uutou TroAixrxioes to ocp/xa Kad' eK&TCpov to p,epoi dpLaTcpov tc Kat
oe£iop Itrov ev-reTUficvov tc Kat iota crwreTptifL^vov eiri Tote ircpaaiv, ais
lp.dvTi 6ieK(ia\\opcvaiv tuiv Tpnp-dTuiv avvdycaOai kit' a\\j|\o to Te-
Tay/xc'j/a too Sep/iaTos t/xij'fiaxa—^puiVTai ce aiirS fldXia-ra Trap' if/UK oi
KVMjyerat OtipeuovTes, iweiSlj irep iv -rpaxecri Kai dvwpdXois X"V">is dvay.
KaliwTai ttoAAokis ov Tpe'x"" p-6vov, dWd n~i)cav. ij 6" auTij Kai -roil*
Kp^Tas airi'a toioutois uiroSij fiacr I xP'l<T®aL eireicre, did -re to
Heye8q tujv 6pdw tuv ev Trj vijam Kai to's TpaxoTjjTas.
8 Foscarini, Relatione etc. "Li assomiglio quasi alii selvatichi Irlan-
desi, perche, come quelli nell' abito, et nell' aspetto, et nelle armi, sono
diversi dalli altri; cosi questi, con li capelli et barbe longhe, con stivali
alti che si ligono alia cintura, che mai li escono di gamba, portando la
camisa che li pende davanti et da driedo, con un gran pugnal davanli, et
la spada all' usanza greca vanno." The two words used by the Cretan to
denote his boots are the ancient inroBtj/iaTa, and trTtpdvia, derived from the
Italian stivale.
vol. ii. r