Ancient Tunic Fragments with Clavi Design

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12, NIV).

Clavi (plural) are believed to have been the most common design in late Roman/Byzantine tunics and other textiles as seen in frescoes, painted burial shrouds, fayum portraits, mosaics, and other various textiles buried with the dead. Historically, the clavus (singular) was misattributed by scholars and re-enactors as having been used only by equestrian soldiers, senators, and, foremost, by emperors in ancient Rome. But as first-century author, Pliny the Elder, attested in his writings, everyone had adopted the clavi design in effort to appear as higher-status individuals. After all, can you really stop fashion revolutions? Traditionally running over the shoulders in vertical bars, later they often ran along the sides and bottom as well.

While clavi did originally separate nobles from regular citizens and possibly denoted rank or position by color and band width, by the third century CE it is evident that "everyone was doing it" so to speak. There was no longer any rhyme or reason to it. Clavi could be wide or narrow, vertical or horizontal, patterned or plain, colorful or monochromatic: appearing individually or in sets. Few textile fragments from before this period survive, but the smaller of the two shown likely dates between the 4th and 7th centuries CE, giving an insight into the clothes early Church members may have worn. The larger bichrome example likely dates between the 7th and 9th centuries CE but would not have been out of place in the 3rd century. Clavus designs didn’t survive into the medieval era. The author is not aware of any textiles after the year 1,000 CE bearing the design; and none appear in the recreations of ancient Rome made by antiquarian scholars which implies the design had become forgotten with time.

While the design is originally Roman, most fine weaving like this was done in Egypt. Much like today, most clothing was not made domestically but was, rather, imported from across vast empires through trade routes. These same trade routes allowed the apostles to evangelize the world. Egypt was at this time a powerhouse of weaving linen, wool, and even cotton. The smaller monochromatic fragment also exhibits Anatolian design influence, putting a spin on the traditional Roman design, and could date this to the later part of its attribution. What almost look like crosses may suggest Coptic Christian influence in the weaving. The Coptics are a subset of Egyptians and did some of the finest weaving in the ancient world. The larger fragment also has a roundel, which is a misleading name as roundels can be round or square. They are like subset panels of design. Some may be pictorial, displaying a scene in finer examples. Most commonly, like in this example, they merely feature a pattern.

The tunic was one of the most basic forms of clothing shared by the elites and slaves alike (though slaves working naked, and impoverished people wearing sack-cloth rags, were not an uncommon sight). One of the disciples (postulated to be Mark) with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when the guards seized Him to be crucified (Mark 14) was "wearing nothing but a linen garment" (v 51) when the guards laid hold of him. His fragile garment was torn from his body, and he fled naked. It wasn't uncommon to wear nothing but a tunic though layered clothing was the standard of the era: Daily clothes included lingerie-like underwear, an under-shirt, a tunic, and, sometimes, another tunic (or toga, if Roman/Hellenized) over top. Some wore capes with or without hoods. Head coverings of various types may have been present regionally for men, women, children, or a combination. Most clothes were made of linen in this time, though cotton, wool or wool-impregnated linen was also worn by the masses. Wrapping around or draping over the body, these were usually closed with a clasp known as a fibula brooch, though other closures were also used including buttons, strings, and hooks & eyes.