page_title: Tunic
section_title: Medieval tunic
hierarchical_section_title: Tunic / Medieval tunic
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Rückseite der Tunika aus dem Thorsberger Moor in Schleswig-Holstein, ca. 4. Jh. English: Back side of a kirtle from the Thorsberg Bog in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, approx. 4th century. Dansk: Kjortel fra Thorsbjerg Mose, Sydslesvig. Fundet stammer fra jernalderen.
context_page_description: A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin tunica, the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome, which in turn was based on earlier Greek garments that covered wearers' waists.
context_section_description: The tunic continued to be the basic garment of the Byzantine Romans of both sexes throughout the medieval period. The upper classes wore other garments atop the basic tunic, such as the dalmatica, a heavier and shorter type of tunic, again, worn by both sexes, or the scaramangion, a riding-coat of Persian origin. Except for the military or riding-dress, men and women of higher status wore tunics that came down to the ankles, or nearly so. Tunics were often dyed or richly embroidered, although the plainer ones could be used when layering different types.
  
  Beyond the reduced empire, the tunic continued to be worn with varying sleeve and hem lengths throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Often reaching the knees or ankles, it was usually worn over underclothes consisting of a shirt (usually hip-length or longer) and drawers (usually knee- or ankle-length pants related to braccae). It may be accompanied by hose. Wool and linen were common fabrics used, though the wealthy sometimes wore fancy silk tunics, or a lesser fabric with silk trim.
  Tunics worn during the Early Middle Ages often featured decorative embroidery or tablet-woven braids along the neck, hem and wrists. This was the case, for instance, with tunics worn by both rich and poor Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest.
caption: Germanic tunic of the 4th Century, A.D. found at the Thorsberg moor
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