Byzantine History

"The importance of iconography on textiles used as garments cannot be underestimated. Messages of identity and potency of the person underneath the cloth were delivered through this versatile medium. The pagan era of the early centuries A.D. featured depictions of gods and were adorned with vegetal motifs representing abundance or fertility, which probably functioned in a talismanic capacity. Weavers producing textiles for Christian patrons replaced gods with saints, prophets, and biblical scenes, such as the Annunciation."

Information about the history of silk production in Byzantium is on this scadian's Persona and Backstory page as her persona was written to be very involved in the creation of the new trades of the kingdom surrounding the textile, albeit speeding up the process of having wearable Byzantine silk being made more readily available for use during her lifetime for storytelling purposes.

From books and online sources.

The History of a Noble Pigment

Mosaic of Empress Theodora and her ladies in waiting from the Hagia Sophia, across from Justinian's mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy (ca. 547 AD). The empress is wearing an Imperial Purple cloak.


Biblical 'Royal' Purple Dyed Cloth

First image above: Biblical 'Royal' purple dyed cloth found in Israel, dates to King David's era. King David reigned from about 1000 to 962 BCE. 

Second image above: Murex shells and their corresponding colour.



Tyrian Purple in Myth

According to grammarian Julius Pollux of 2nd century Greece, the demigod Heracles and his dog discovered Tyrian purple on their way to meet a court nymph named Tyro after the dog bit a shell on the beach. The nymph saw the dog's stained fur and demanded a gown be made for her of the same colour.

The hue was named after either the nymph or the Phoenician city of Tyre. 

Sea Snail Shells 

Image above: Murex sea snail shells and their purple/red dyes from the Museum of Natural History in Vienna.

Interpreted from the German in the image: 

Other non-murex shell sources for red/purple dyes include Purfura lapillus  or Buccinum lapillus 

Tyrian Purple Fragment

The above image shows a fragment of an 11th-century Byzantine silk robe with griffons embroidered on murex-dyed threads.

Tyrian Purple Fragment

"A fragment of the shroud in which the Emperor Charlemagne was buried in 814 AD. It was made of gold and Tyrian purple from Constantinople."

Tyrian Red

'Swatches' showing range of pigments for Tyrian Red, also called Tyrian Purple or Tyrian Plum, via modern hue rendering. Some other names for Tyrian red/purple are Byzantine purple, murex purple, red whelk, Grecian purple, ostrum, purpurissum, Imperial purple, and Royal blue.


"Presentation of the Pandects to the Emperor Justinian" by Hermann Joseph Wilhelm Knackfuß in 1891 for the mural in the stairwell of the courthouse in Kassel, Germany. The Pandects, or The Digest, was a compendium of juristic writings on Roman Law ordered under Justinian I to be compiled between 530-533 AD. 

Royal 6th Century Style Influence

Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I (born circa 497 AD, died 28 June 548 AD), not to be confused with the Byzantine Empress Theodora, wife of Theophilos (born circa 815 AD, died circa 867 AD), is one of the leading reasons why this scadian delved deeper into reading about Byzantine history. Outside of the outright craziness of Justinian's reign consisting of sports riots, plagues, and a hunt for the 6th century Moby Dick, the laws passed under the coregency as well as the interesting life story of the empress were lots of fun to read. Some of Theodora's more famous words to Justinian preceding the end of the Nika riots were in regard to her preference not giving up their life of luxury:

"My lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man’s council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud."

In 2000, Theodora was proclaimed a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Her commemoration day is November 14th (why that day, I do not know). Her feast day in the Syriac/Oriental/non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Church is June 28 (the day of her death in 548 AD). 

Prior to her time as empress, Theodora became famous throughout Constantinople for her performance as Leda in the play Leda and the Swan.

In Byzantium, theater actresses were also prostitutes. Theodora, a former child prostitute, had quite the reputation, though stories were certainly embellished from her days prior to (as well as during) her reign alongside her husband. For example, the image above by Giuseppe de Sanctis in 1887 depicts the empress resting after an orgy. Procopius, scholar and historian to Justinian, wrote of his distaste for the empress in his book, "The Secret History" (published posthumously). While there are a few aesthetic anachronisms in Giuseppe's painting, (click link on "image" for those details), considering how close Procopius worked with Theodora and Justinian, if there was any kind of infidelity or open marriage during the reign as pictured above, Procopius would have certainly written about it in his book. There are many tall tales and accusations in this book, but he makes no mention of Theodora straying from her husband, consensual or otherwise. Though one could argue that perhaps Procopius simply didn't care to write about her extracurricular activities. 

While Theodora is considered to be the most powerful woman of Late Antiquity through her marriage to Justinian and an important political figure as a defender of Christianity, she was also a champion of women's rights. She was influential in the legal reforms of the Corpus Juris Civilis  demonstrating that she did not forget her origins. She worked to change the conditions of working (and non-working) women in Byzantium to give them more freedoms than they had in the past. Mutual consent was no longer required for divorce (women were affected disproportionately by this former law, with some sources stating that fewer husbands were being poisoned as a result of this change in law). Theodora worked to outlaw pimps and brothels. She supported legislation that gave women the right to own property. Trafficking of young girls was prohibited and rape was made punishable by death. 

Other Royal Byzantine Influences in Fashion

Empress Irene of Hungary

Empress consort to John II Komnenos, tenure 1104-1134 AD.

Empress Irene of Hungary (again)

Her mosaic from the Hagia Sophia. 

The image above has been used to depict Empress Theodora, wife of Emperor Justinian I in 6th century Byzantium; and Empress Theophano, wife of Emperor Romanos II and then Nikephoros II (born circa 941 AD, died circa 976 AD) - not to be confused with Empress Theophanu, wife of Emperor Otto II, (born circa 995 AD, died 15 June 991 AD) - in various sources online. In the image above, the empress holds one of the Chalices of Romanos, thought to be made in the 10th century, about 400 years after Theodora's time. The red garb is more similar to the clothing depicted in the mosaic portrait of Empress Irene of Hungary, wife of John II Komnenos (born circa 1088 AD, died 13 August 1134 AD), in the Hagia Sophia circa 1118 AD rather than the clothing typical of Byzantine royals in the sixth century. It is unlikely that the artist actually meant to depict Justinian's wife Theodora, though these may all be anachronistic choices added to the image like the 13th century Limoges enamel reliquary depicting the assassination of Archbishiop Thomas A Becket beside 6th century Theodora in Giuseppe's image above.

Empress Irene of Athens 

Empress consort to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780 AD (not to be confused with Empress consort Irene Doukaina Laskarina, leader of the anti-Byzantine party in the Bulgarian court of the 13th century), regent during childhood of Charlemagne VI from 780-790 AD, co-ruler 792-797 AD, empress regent and sole rule 797-802 AD. 

Arabic Men regarding Byzantine Women

"Byzantine women were apparently renowned for their beauty and Byzantines of both sexes for their attractiveness. In Ṭabaqāt al-ʼUmam (composed in 1068 AD, a 'history of science, philosophy, and throught), Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī says that the king of Rûm is called the king of human beings because his subjects are those who have the most beautiful faces among all human beings, the best built-bodies and the most robust constitutions. Mas'udi calls the king of Rûm, king of men, because 'there is not on earth any people with a more perfect physiognomy or with more handsome face.'"

In written documents of adab, Islamic etiquette on "refinement, good manners, morals, decorum, decency, and humaneness," Rûmiyya, the word for a medieval Roman woman, had a lot of written stereotypes and fetishizations. Women of Byzantium were often written to be beautiful and well-proportioned, though promiscuous and untrustworthy. Pale yellow hair, blue/green eyes, and light skin - though not typical Mediterranean features - were commonly remarked upon in numerous documents from traveling Arabic men before the fall of the Empire in 1453 AD. Many said they feared that the sight of a Byzantine women might not allow them to control themselves.  Arabic prose writer Al-Jahiz wrote of Byzantine women that they are "the most shameless women in the world... the uncircumcised woman finds pleasure, which the circumcised woman does not." This scadian finds this perspective to be very interesting, considering that the Arabs were not especially accepting of the idea of eunuchs (castrated males) in the Byzantine court. Abd al-Jabbar made note that  “(Byzantine) married women are usually chaste; it is the unmarried who are adulteresses, and they often start fornicating while still living in their parents home." He also writes that Byzantine women are not veiled, even when married, and that they pass the people in the market with heads and faces uncovered, "showing all their beauty.” Amongst his writings, he also stated that "adultery is commonplace in the cities and marketplaces of Byzantium. If a woman has no husband, chooses not to marry, and prefers adultery, she is free to do what she pleases." Roman markets where Byzantine prostitutes would "possess their own shops and sit in doorways, uncovered and conspicuous." 

The Arabic writings of the time on Byzantine women, while not always pleasant to read, are quite funny considering how different the average Byzantine woman was supposed to behave, especially a "family" woman. Byzantine women were "expected to be retiring, shy, modest, and devoted to their families and to religious observances. The upbringing of women took place in the gynaeceum, the part of the house for women, in virtual seclusion... Outside of the gynaeceum women had little contact with men and wore a veil, whether married or not. Although Byzantine historical sources show that strict conventions did not stop illicit contact between the sexes, the behavior of most women in Byzantium was a far cry from the depictions that appear in the Arabic sources." It would seem that journals from some of these men describing their more common perceptions of real-life women in Byzantium were limited to those that worked in a particular field, perhaps those whose services the journalist may have used more regularly if they wrote about it that often.

Byzantine wives, concubines, and slaves were common to Arabic men. Harun Al-Rashid was known to have built a castle, or a pleasure-house, on the Euphrates for a beautiful Byzantine woman he fell in love with after discovering her at a slave auction.

Images above: 'Immodest' Byzantine women, showing their full face, one keeping her hair uncovered. 

First image above: A pale, blonde, blue/green-eyed Byzantine woman, a visual presentation of a common written description of Byzantine women in Arabic journals of men.

Second image above: Prose writer Al-Jahiz.

Third image above: Harun al-Rashid at left receiving a delegation sent by Charlemagne to his court in Baghdad in painting by Julius Köckert in 1864.

An illustration of the Eastern Roman embassy to Emperor Taizong of Tang in 643 AD.

An image of the silk trade between the Byzantine Empire on the left and China on the right.

"A painting entitled Separated by a Green Curtain, a Chinese and Roman Artist Compete with Each Other, original by Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209), from a Persian Timurid-era copy dated 1481."

Image above: "The Sampul tapestry, a woollen wall hanging from Lop County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, showing a possibly Greek soldier from the Greco-Bactrian kingdom (250–125 BC), with blue eyes, wielding a spear, and wearing what appears to be a diadem headband; depicted above him is a centaur, from Greek mythology, a common motif in Hellenistic art;[46] Xinjiang Region Museum."