What sources of evidence are available from the studied periods regarding costume and textiles? What sources of evidence are highly accurate and which are not and why?

Byzantine Culture

• Mosaics – pictures made from small pieces of colored material.

• Panel paintings – paintings on wooden panels.

• Illuminated manuscripts – handwritten books with illustrations.

• Carved ivories – decorative objects carved from ivory.

• Metalwork – jewelry and decorative metal objects.

• Libraries and art collections – preserved written and artistic records.

Early Middle Ages

• Religious figurative art – artwork showing religious figures wearing clothing.

• Illuminated manuscripts and miniatures – illustrated books showing clothing and daily life.

• Mosaics and frescoes – artwork on walls or ceilings.

• Stained-glass windows – images that sometimes show clothing.

• Bayeux Tapestry – embroidered cloth depicting historical events and clothing.

• Monastic dress – records and depictions of clothing worn by monks and religious communities.

Late Middle Ages

• Books of Hours (prayer books) – illustrated religious books.

• Secular romances and literary works – stories describing clothing and appearance.

• Gothic cathedrals and tombs – sculptures and images showing dress.

• Stone and wooden statues – representations of clothing styles.

• Extant artifacts – actual surviving clothing and textile objects.

• Inventories – written lists of possessions, clothing, fabrics, and other belongings.

Which sources are most accurate?

• Extant artifacts

• Inventories

Which sources are least accurate?

• Paintings, mosaics, and illuminated manuscripts

• Sculptures and stained-glass windows

• Literary works and romances

• Tapestries