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Etruscan Dress

Larissa Bonfante

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In this study Larissa Bonfante traces the development of Etruscan dress from the eighth to the fifth century B.C.E., using as evidence actual remnants of costumes, sculptures and other artistic representations, and literary passages dealing with the subject. Bonfante explores Near Eastern influences on Etruscan dress as well as the relationships of Greek and Roman styles to Etruscan styles. She also addresses the problem of determining which garments were actually worn and which were only artistic conventions. In addition, by tracing the origin of each style of dress, she provides a chronology...

In this study Larissa Bonfante traces the development of Etruscan dress from the eighth to the fifth century B.C.E., using as evidence actual remnants of costumes, sculptures and other artistic representations, and literary passages dealing with the subject. Bonfante explores Near Eastern influences on Etruscan dress as well as the relationships of Greek and Roman styles to Etruscan styles. She also addresses the problem of determining which garments were actually worn and which were only artistic conventions. In addition, by tracing the origin of each style of dress, she provides a chronology of Etruscan relations with the Near East and the cities of Greece.

For this paperback edition, an updated bibliographical essay discusses the latest research and discoveries in the field.

Reviews

Reviews

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is its comparisons of Etruscan dress to Greek and Near Eastern, especially Cypriote, antecedents. Likewise, her presentations of the contrasts between Greek and Etruscan, as well as between Roman and Etruscan dress, neatly pinpoints and summarizes the stylistic differences.

Highlights include judiciously selected illustrations, a superb, up-to-date bibliography, and a remarkably concise, informative chronological table of Greek and Etruscan dress.

A fine introduction to a very complex area which has received too little attention in the past. The material is rich and varied; the argument is learned, intricate, and wide ranging... This is a major work of scholarship, and well deserves a place among the indispensable works in English on Etruscan topics.

This is still the only book on its subject... Bonfante's encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiasms make the Etruscans accessible to anyone who wants to find out what they were like.

Essential for any teacher or student interested in the Etruscans. For students, moreover, it serves as a model on how to 'read' archaeological finds of fabric and representations of garments in order to elicit valuable insights into Etruscan culture.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
7
x
10
Pages
256
ISBN
9780801874130
Illustration Description
141 halftones
Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronological Table of Greek and Etruscan Dress
Chapter 1. Fabrics and Patterns
Chapter 2. Perizoma and Belts
Chapter 3. Chiton and Tunic
Chapter 4. Mantles
Chapter 5. Shoes
Chapter 6. Hats

Introduction
Chronological Table of Greek and Etruscan Dress
Chapter 1. Fabrics and Patterns
Chapter 2. Perizoma and Belts
Chapter 3. Chiton and Tunic
Chapter 4. Mantles
Chapter 5. Shoes
Chapter 6. Hats, Hair Styles, and Beards
Chapter 7. Foreign Influences and Local Styles
Appendix I: Strange Costumes and Special Problems
Appendix II: Vocabulary

Author Bio
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Larissa Bonfante

Larissa Bonfante is a professor of classics at New York University. She is the author of Etruscan Mirrors and Etruscan Life and Afterlife.