The Gallic Coat

[G. Fitzpatrick]

Hi Guys,
I'm hopping you all might be able to help with this.
What was the gallic coat? I've read a few references to it on the forums, but nothing definite. So, I did a search on the site and came up with nothing,

I then had a look at "A Companion to Roman Britan" and "Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms" on google books. They seem to say that it is essentially a large tunic which was worn unbelted, with the only decoration coming from fringing on the lower hem.

Anybody got any more info on the coat? Have any been found?

[Materfamillias]

I found a picture of a woman wearing one. According to Allason-Jones
(2005) the Gallic coat is a unisex garment of North-Western provinces worn shorter by men (to the knee). The coat is wide and unfitted, the hem is curved to avoid sagging. Tombestone evidence indicates they were worn in the UK although none have been found, but they have been found at Les-Martres-de Veyre and Reepsholt. Hope that helps



Kind thoughts
Materfamillias

[garrelt]

Do you mean the Cucullus ?

[Materfamillias]

Isn't that hooded? if I understand what Mr Fitzpatrick is after I think its just an oversized tunic worn unbelted, I haven't come across any references to hoods attached to this article, but I daresay there are coats from Gaul that do.

kind thoughts
Materfamillias

[garrelt]

The Cucullus is hooded.
It is an over garment for travalling.
It is not clear on the picture posted here if there is a hood attached or not.

If it is a ovesized tunic without a hood, then can start thinking as that the smaller versions of the cucullus were worn over it as the later medieval Kaproen (Chaperon/ kap).
Sorry i don't have the right English word for it now.

[garrelt]

It could also be a poncho like garment.

Makes me think about a Hallstadt period picture of adults/children dressed in coat like garments and wearing a so called Tellermutz.

[Paullus Scipio]

IIRC, the Gallic coat has also been likened to a 'paenula' type garment/cloak.......

[M. Demetrius]

I had read the same thing, Scipio. Some cloaks had hoods. It makes sense, after all. It's one of those functional things that people pretty much everywhere wear. In the Mideast, an unhooded cloak is called an aba. It's basically a paenula, sometimes with the side seams sewn up.

[Graham Sumner]

Hi
The Gallic coat is described in two articles by J.P. Wild

'Clothing in the North West Provinces of the Roman Empire'. BJ 168, 1968.

'The Clothing of Britannia, Gallia belgica and Germania Inferior'. ANRW 1985.

Also mentioned in Alex Crooms book Roman Clothing and Fashion.

Graham.

[Komanos]

Would it be related to hooded cloaks worn by Galatians?

[Lugorix]

The gallic coat was made without a hood. It's a a baggy tunic, so baggy that the sleeves are not very long, though the hems are thought to go beyond the wrists. Then there are some that do not appear to have sleeves, just slits to pass your hands through, but still big enough to cover the persons arms with arms extended.

It was cut out of a single piece of fabric, the sleeves have the selvage, the bottom hem is curved rather than straight, bottom hem sometimes depicted as fringed (but still curved). Knee-length for men, ankle-length for women.

Hope this helps.

[Conal]

The gallic coat was made without a hood. It's a a baggy tunic, so baggy that the sleeves are not very long, though the hems are thought to go beyond the wrists. Then there are some that do not appear to have sleeves, just slits to pass your hands through, but still big enough to cover the persons arms with arms extended.

It was cut out of a single piece of fabric, the sleeves have the selvage, the bottom hem is curved rather than straight, bottom hem sometimes depicted as fringed (but still curved). Knee-length for men, ankle-length for women.

Hope this helps.

Do you have any illustrations please?

also what era would they cover ?

Thanks

[Salvianus]

They seem to have been identified as wide sleeved overtunic. Owen-Crocker identifies the monument of Blussus, Mainz, as one (which seems like a generous hooded paenula to me). This is the reconstruction by Cohors Quinta Gallorum, printed in Alex Croom's book:

[M. Demetrius]

The fellow on the right, looks like a hood dropped down around the neck to me, but I guess that could be something else.

[Salvianus]

Re-reading my post and the books, I should clarify: Croom identifies the Gallic coat as the wide sleeved overtunic, knee length for men, ankle length for women, sometimes with very wide sleeves narrowing towards the wrist. She identifies the above Quinta reconstruction as a cape, possibly a byrrus because of the neck fastening arrangement.

Croom describes Blussus as wearing "the usual Gallic outfit", having previously described the Gallic coat as sleeved and Owen-Crocker names it clearly as a Gallic coat in her section on the 5th & 6th centuries (though I think it's 1st century.

As I said, Blussus looks to me like he's wearing a sleeveless but heavily draped circular hooded paenula, although I think it's also perfectly possible to see that as a scarf. He's a wealthy ship owner depicted with moneybag, so I'm cautious about assuming he is wearing outerware: his wife seems to be wearing unusual costume too, so my guess is that it had a specific cultural meaning. (If it really was from the 5-6th century I might have guessed it was a church vestment!)

I have no clue about the term 'Gallic coat' , if it is a translation of a period term etc.

Attached an image from Barbara McManus on vroma.org