6 Get in the Zōnē: Examining Belts in Ancient Greece

In the streets of the city-state, dawn starts to break. A variety of people put on their clothing and head out to work. Hoplites assemble for battle, and the enslaved head out for morning tasks. Women gather wool to weave into cloth and deal with their households. These people all have one thing in common – the zōnē (ζώνη) or zōstēr (ζώστηρ).

Also known as a belt, the zōnē and zōstēr were more than a functional accessory — they were powerful symbols of status, identity, and social transition. Worn by men and women, this item of adornment reflected gender roles, civic identity, and interactions with foreign cultures. Its presence in Greek art, literature, and ritual highlights its complex role in everyday life and cultural expression.

Wealth and the Belt

A belt’s type, material, and decoration often indicated a person’s social rank and wealth. Aristocrats and elite warriors wore finely crafted leather, metal, or fabric belts, sometimes adorned with decorative elements like gold or precious stones. In contrast, ordinary citizens and labourers wore belts made from plain leather or cloth. The belt was a practical tool to secure clothing and a visible way to differentiate between wealthy and poor citizens.

Men and Belts

For men, belts held significance in the transition from youth to adulthood, particularly through military service. The wearing of a belt as part of a hoplite’s armour marked the young man’s entry into the civic and military life of the polis (city-state). Outside of military utility and certain athletic competitions, men were rarely seen in public wearing belts unless they were enslaved. Those who wore no belts indicated membership in the polis (male citizenry), and those who did indicated their role as a slave.

The Chigi Vase (c. 650 BCE) (Fig. 6.1), discovered in Veii (Etruria) and housed in the Villa Giulia in Rome, is one of the earliest and most detailed depictions of Greek hoplite warfare. This wine jug (olpē) illustrates a hoplite phalanx formation, showing Greek warriors wearing military belts (zōstēr) as part of their combat gear as they engage in battle (e.g. Il. 5.538-39 and 11.232-37). The belt  is also mentioned in the Iliad as an essential component of the soldier’s preparations for battle. The belts are depicted as functional, securing the warriors’ tunics and helping to hold their swords in place. They also emphasize a social concept essential to the hoplite phalanx – cohesion. The Chigi Vase also reflects how the belt served not only as a practical accessory but also as a marker of the warrior’s civic duty, status, and role as a warrior.  For more information on hoplite armour, see Chapter 8.

Women and Zōnai

Belts (zōnai) also played a central role in Greek rites of passage for women, and the social implications of belts (and the belts themselves) actually stayed with women their whole lives, unlike men who went beltless when not required for work, or military service. Young girls normally wore their clothing unbelted. The donning and wearing of a belt marked their passage out of adolescence, into womanhood during puberty.  It also symbolized their marital status; marriageable young women displayed their belts, while married women wore them more discreetly. The zōnē embodies an ideal of Athenian womanhood as ordered and controlled within a patriarchal society.

In addition to this daily usage, belts were important to cult and ritual. Prior to marriage, a young woman might dedicate her belt to the goddess Artemis, along with other items of significance to her earlier life. Brides often wore special ceremonial belts, symbolizing their transition to married life during the wedding ceremony. In bridal scenes in Attic vase painting, the bride is shown tying her belt in preparation for marriage. The bride’s belt was then untied by her husband at the end of the wedding party, signifying the woman’s loss of virginity and her new status as a wife. This caryatid of the Erechtheion (c. 421–406 BCE), originally on the Acropolis of Athens (Fig. 6.2), is one of the six such female statues that serve as architectural supports for the south porch of the temple. The figure wears a finely detailed tunic called a peplos, bound with a belt at the waist. Although the belt is not visible, the fabric of the garment billows over the belt, highlighting its presence. It is positioned in such a way as to emphasize marriageable status.  For more on clothing and dress, see Chapter 4.

Citizenship and Belts

Since Greek men did not wear belts when attending to their normal business (except for when on guard duty, in certain athletic competitions, or in the case of tool belts) it was easy to spot someone unaware of these norms. The belt also served as a marker of difference between Greeks and non-Greeks (Hdt. Hist. 1.215) and 7.61). Greek artisans of the classical period often exaggerated the depictions of foreigners wearing belts to emphasize foreign cultures’ perceived luxury and sensuality, contrasting it with Greek ideals of moderation and simplicity.

It is believed that Persian soldiers were the inspiration for the simplicity of Greek belt designs, serving to differentiate Greeks visually from their eastern neighbours.  Persians were depicted in Persian art with elaborate and decorative belts, highlighting Greek views of Persian culture as decadent and excessive in contrast to the efficiency and moderation of Greek ideals. This idea was then applied to other neighbours of the Greeks.

Foreign Women and  Belts

This Attic red-figure krater (c. 470 BCE) depicts a Thracian woman wearing distinctive clothing and a belt that sets her apart from Greek women. Thracian women are shown wearing wide, elaborately decorated belts made from rich materials like silk or metal, often adorned with intricate patterns, and wielding weaponry. This belt emphasizes the foreign identity of the Thracian woman. It highlights the Greek perception of Thracians as more luxurious, exotic, and militaristic than their female Greek counterparts’ more restrained and modest attire. Thracian women are often depicted in more dynamic or sensual postures, with flowing garments and ornate belts reinforcing Greek stereotypes about foreigners. The contrast in belt styles serves as a visual shorthand for the perceived cultural and social differences between Greeks and “others”, with Greek belts symbolizing order and moderation. This and the tattoos on the Thracian woman help differentiate visually between Greeks and “others”. For more information on tattoos in Ancient Greece, see Chapter 15.

Conclusion Zōnē

The belt in ancient Greece was more than a simple accessory—it was a cultural symbol that reflected status, gender roles, and civic identity and differentiated Greek culture from foreign cultures. Through its depiction in art and literature, the belt became a key visual marker of personal identity and broader cultural values. Whether on the battlefield, in marriage rituals, or representations of foreign peoples, the belt remained a powerful emblem of Greek life and society.