UNKNOWN WEAVER, Coptic
(active 5th century in Egypt)

Tunic with Dionysian Ornament

5th century
Linen, wool; plain weave, tapestry weave, 183 x 135 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A longer, wider version of the tunic was the ubiquitous garment of the Late Antique period. This tunic is one of four in the Museum's collection said to be from Akhmim, an ancient weaving centre and apparently a centre of both pagan and Christian thought and religion. The burgeoning ornament of this tunic expresses Dionysian themes, culminating with an image of the god himself on the shoulder squares.