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peplos

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A woman's outer garment in ancient Greece, consisting of a rectangle of heavy fabric draped over the body and pinned at the shoulders, often with a folded overhang (apoptygma).

Detailed Definition
The peplos is similar to the chiton but typically heavier, made of wool, and worn over a chiton or by itself. Its distinctive overfold at the top creates a pleasing sculptural line, and it was the traditional garment of the Athenian woman, often associated with the Panathenaic festival where a new peplos was woven for the statue of Athena. In poetry, the peplos appears in scenes of women's domestic life, weaving, and religious ritual. Its heavy drape suggests gravitas and dignity, and poets describe its patterns and the weight of its fabric. In epic poetry, a goddess might be described as wearing a peplos, her divine aura shimmering through its folds. The peplos also appears in elegies for lost times, representing a golden age of Greek feminine virtue.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The peplos's heavy wool fell in sculptural folds, a garment of ritual"; "She wove the peplos for Athena, a year's work in a single cloth"; "The peplos's overfold was a shelf for her collarbones"; "He saw her in her peplos and thought of the Parthenon"; "The peplos, pinned at the shoulders, was the uniform of a goddess"; "She removed her peplos and became a woman, not a statue"
Additional Notes
The peplos is similar to the chiton but typically heavier, made of wool, and worn over a chiton or by itself. Its distinctive overfold at the top creates a pleasing sculptural line, and it was the traditional garment of the Athenian woman, often associated with the Panathenaic festival where a new peplos was woven for the statue of Athena. In poetry, the peplos appears in scenes of women's domestic life, weaving, and religious ritual. Its heavy drape suggests gravitas and dignity, and poets describe its patterns and the weight of its fabric. In epic poetry, a goddess might be described as wearing a peplos, her divine aura shimmering through its folds. Related terms include chiton, himation, and dress. Students should note the peplos's specific association with Athenian religious ritual and its role in signaling female dignity and the classical ideal.
Also Known As
Greek gown folded tunic Ionic robe
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