Miriam’s Himation

Readers have been asking me about Miriam’s clothing, in particular about her himation, a garment that originated in Ancient Greece. Both men and women wore a himation, a large, light-woolen rectangle, often colorful, that wrapped around their tunic in various ways to serve as a cloak. Miriam fixed hers at the right shoulder with her mother’s fibula. In Chapter 14 of THE DEADLIEST LIE, when Miriam goes to Judah’s apartment, Phoebe drapes Miriam’s himation over her crown of braids to partially veil her face. Then again, in Chapter 20, Miriam, needing a more thorough disguise, centers the himation across her nose and mouth, wraps the tails around the crown of her head, fastens them under her chin, and lets the ends drape behind her back.

If you have questions about how the first-century CE women of Alexandria dressed, including their jewelry, cosmetics, and hairstyles, just go to the contact page of my website and send me an email. www.junetrop.com.