Chlamys

The chlamys (Ancient Greek): χλαμύς, gen.: χλαμύδος was an ancient Greek type of rather short cloak. By the time of the Byzantine Empire it was, in a much longer form, part of the state costume of the emperor and high officials, surviving as such until at least the 12th century CE.

The ephaptis [ἐφαπτίς] was a similar garment, typically worn by infantrymen.

Ancient Greece

The chlamys was made from a seamless rectangle of woolen material about the size of a blanket, usually bordered. It was normally pinned with a fibula at the right shoulder. Originally it was wrapped around the waist like a loincloth, but by the end of the 5th century BC it was worn over the elbows. It could be worn over another item of clothing, but was often the sole item of clothing for young soldiers and messengers, at least in Greek art. As such, the chlamys is the characteristic garment of Hermes (Roman Mercury), the messenger god usually depicted as a young man.

The chlamys was typical Greek military attire from the 5th to the 3rd century BCE. As worn by soldiers, it could be wrapped around the arm and used as a light shield in combat.

Chlamys (genus)

Chlamys is a genus of small scallops, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Pectinidae. The name is taken from the Ancient Greek, χλαμΰς or Chlamys, a cloak worn by soldiers.

Species in the genus Chlamys