mail: Bill Thayer

Italiano

Help

Up

Home

 p707  Limbus

Article by James Yates, M.A., F.R.S.,
on pp707‑708 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

The woodcut in the Dictionary was in black-and‑white; I colorized it.

LIMBUS (παρυφή), the border of a tunic (Corippus, de Laud. Just. II.117) or a scarf. (Virg.  p708 Aen. IV.137; Serv. in loc.) This ornament, when displayed upon the tunic, was of similar kind with the Cyclas and Institae (Servius in Virg. Aen. II.616), but much less expensive, more common and more simple. It was generally woven in the same piece with the entire garment of which it formed a part, and it had sometimes the appearance of a scarlet or purple band upon a white ground; in other instances it resembled foliage (Virg. Aen. I.649; Ovid, Met. VI.127), or the scrolls and meanders introduced in architecture. A very elegant effect was produced by bands of gold thread interwoven in cloth of Tyrian purple (Ovid, Met. V.51), and called ληροί or leria (Festus, s.v.; Brunck, Anal. I.483). Demetrius Poliorcetes was arrayed in this manner (χρυσοπαρύφοις ἀλουργῖσι, Plut. Demet. 41). Virgil (Aen. V.251) mentions a scarf enriched with gold, the border of which was in the form of a double meander. In illustration of this account examples of both the single and the double meander are introduced at the top of the annexed woodcut. The other eight specimens of limbi are selected to show some of the principal varieties of this ornament, which present themselves on Etruscan vases and other works of ancient art.

The use of the limbus was almost confined to the female sex among the Greeks and Romans; but in other nations it was admitted into the dress of men likewise.

An ornamental band, when used by itself as a fillet to surround the temples or the waist, was also called limbus (Stat. Theb. VI.367, Achill. II.176; Claud. de Cons. Mallii Theod. 118). Probably the limbolarii mentioned by Plautus (Aulul. III.5.45), were persons employed in making bands of this description.

Images with borders lead to more information. The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)
UP TO:	Smith's Dictionary: Roman Clothing	Smith's Dictionary: Daily Life	Smith's Dictionary	LacusCurtius	Home
A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer. See my copyright page for details and contact information.