Ancient Greek Clothing for Kids

What did the ancient Greeks wear?

Tunics: The ancient Greeks all wore tunics. A tunic is a long shirt that was made of two pieces of fur or cloth. One piece was for the front and one piece was for the back. The pieces were sewn together at the shoulder and at the sides. Tunics could be long or short. In ancient Greece, more than 2,500 years ago, men wore tunics just above their knees. Women's tunics reached to the ground. A poor person in ancient Greece only owned one tunic, which was both underwear and outer wear. People who had more money to spend on clothing wore a tunic as underwear, but wore a toga over it.

Togas: A toga is one large piece of cloth worn over one or both shoulders. Togas were popular for hundreds of years in both ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Rich people wore really big togas that draped around their bodies many times. A less rich person's toga only wrapped around once or twice. The poor did not wear togas at all. You could tell how rich someone was simply by looking at their toga.

Cloaks:  They also wore cloaks to stay warm as needed. Cloaks were made of a large piece of woolen material about the size of a blanket. It was held at one shoulder by a large broach or pin, and wrapped as needed.

Clothing Designs: Women made clothes out of wool for winter wear, and used linen for their summer fabric. They dyed tunics and togas in bright colors. They bleached some material to a popular bright white. Clothes were decorated with geometric designs. Some were decorated to represent their city-state. Some clothes were left plain.

Shoes: Most ancient Greeks went barefoot, even in the streets, even in cold weather.

Hats: The Greeks wore a hat they invented for traveling. It had a chin strap, so it could hang down their back unless they needed it for protection from sunshine or rain.

Jewelry: Everyone made jewelry. It was very popular. The rich also bought jewelry from traveling peddlers and from vendors in the marketplace.

Perfume: Both men and women used perfume made by boiling flowers and herbs. You could make perfume at home, or buy scents from a vendor.

Ancient Greek clothing, jewelry, and perfume was mostly made at home, but it was also sold by peddlers, and sold in the agora, the marketplace, by vendors, although in the marketplace it was quite expensive. The rich, who could afford to do so, purchased all kinds of items in the marketplace. A really talented craftsman in ancient Greece could become famous, and even rich themselves, if what they were selling was not only popular or needed, but also exceptional.

Just an FYI: The first pants we know about were first worn in ancient Persia about 2,500 years ago, at the same time the Greeks were wearing tunics. The Greeks fought three big wars with Persia, all started by Persia, and the ancient Greeks won them all! The Greeks knew the Persians wore pants, and because their pants were colorful and flowing, you might think the flamboyant Greeks would have copied that style with pleasure. But wearing pants never caught on in ancient Greece, perhaps because pants were popular in nearby Persia. The Greeks were NOT fans of the Persian culture.

More about Daily Life in Ancient Greece

Persian Wars -  The Persians sent warriors to the Greek peninsula to squash the Greeks. They attempted three times to conquer the Greeks at the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. Each time, the Greeks drove them away.