Zoster (costume)

Terracotta figure of Kriophoros wearing a zoster (c. 650 BC)

A zoster (Greek: ζωστήρ, zōstēr) was a form of girdle or belt worn by men and perhaps later by women in ancient Greece, from the Archaic period (c. 750 – c. 500 BC) to the Hellenistic period (323–30 BC).

The word occurs in Homer,[1] where it appears to refer to a warrior's belt of leather, possibly covered in bronze plates. Later references in the late Archaic and early Classical periods[2][3] show it used as a belt or cloth girdle with men's clothes, especially the shorter chiton.

The word is also used in the 9th labour of Heracles/Hercules, where he must steal Hippolyta's zoster, although in translation the word girdle is preferred. In this myth the word is used as war belt rather than just a piece of clothing.

There are also zostra in Nausicaa's wardrobe, when she goes out to do her laundry, so as to encounter Odysseus (6:38). It's not clear whether her zoster is a form of underwear of just a linen belt over her peplos.

By the Hellenistic period, it had become synonymous with "zone" and was used for women's clothes as well as men's.[4]

The zoster was also worn and is still worn by Greeks when wearing traditional costumes (regional clothing).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Homer. Odyssey. p. 14.7.2.
  2. ↑ Herodotus. Histories. p. 9.74.
  3. ↑ Sophocles. Ajax. p. 1030.
  4. ↑ Pausanias. Description of Greece. p. 1.31.1.


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