What does peplos mean?
A peplos is a distinctive garment of ancient Greece, especially associated with the Archaic and Classical periods. It was made from a large rectangular piece of cloth, generally wool, which was fastened at the shoulders and then draped around the body, often reaching the feet. Its arrangement produced deep vertical folds and could create an impression of the wearer as a figure enveloped in fabric. Women of different social and historical periods are represented wearing peploi, and the garment appears prominently in Greek vase painting and sculpture. Although later English writers occasionally use the word poetically for a mantle or robe, it normally carries a specifically Greek historical or cultural reference. The peplos is also useful in distinguishing ancient Greek clothing from the chiton, a sewn tunic that was pinned or tied onto the body. Together, the two garments help explain the clothing conventions visible in much ancient Mediterranean art.
nounA rectangular ancient Greek garment, usually made of wool and worn by women, fastened at the shoulders and allowed to hang to the feet in deep folds. The peplos is especially associated with Archaic Greek dress and the imagery of Classical Greek sculpture and vase painting.
- An ancient Greek outer garment worn by women, made from a large rectangular piece of woollen cloth fastened at the shoulders and draped over the body.
"The vase painting depicts a woman wearing a richly patterned peplos fastened at her shoulders."
"Statues of the Classical period often represent women in a peplos whose folds conceal the shape of the body."
"The poet describes the queen in an elaborate peblos woven with golden thread."
The standard plural follows the Greek form; plural peploses is also encountered in English.
"Several peploi are shown in the scene, each fastened with pins at the shoulders."
Greek sculpture makes the peplos instantly recognizable: fabric held at the shoulders, then left to fall in broad, architectural folds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of peplos
English peplos comes through Latin peplum, a term borrowed from Ancient Greek πέπλος, denoting a robe or mantle. Greek usage developed a specific cultural and artistic association with women's dress, especially clothing represented in poetry, sculpture, and vase painting. The related English word peplum was later applied to a short, flared garment, often decorative, attached to a dress.
Related word forms
How peplos is actually used
The term is chiefly historical, archaeological, or literary. In modern usage it may also evoke the idealized draped figures of Greek art, so it is rarely a neutral everyday word for a general robe or cloak.
Easily confused with peplos
A peplos is a large rectangular cloth fastened at the shoulders and draped around the body, whereas a chiton is a sewn tunic typically pinned or tied along the shoulders and arms.