Trousers

General

Thorsbjerg Trousers

Daetgen and Marx Etzel Trousers

Colours and Fabrics

Literary Evidence

General		Back to top
Trousers, it seems, were a matter of personal preference - sometimes they were worn, sometimes they weren't. For decency, I would recommend that they should be worn at all times! Individuals wearing trousers appear on Roman sculptures of Germanic men and these figures either show a short tunic which covers the top of the trousers or a small cloak. Those wearing a small cloak show the trousers held up with a belt. In all cases the trousers seem to be ankle-length and rather loose and baggy at the top, but quite tight-fitting at the ankle.		Fig 1. Germanic prisoner from the Arch of Constantine, Rome

Thorsbjerg Trousers

This pair of trousers found in a peat bog in the Schleswig-Holstein area of Germany date from about 1 or 2 AD. They are made of a high quality woven fabric in a broken lozenge twill with separate panels for each leg, seat and crotch to shape them to the body. The legs are narrow and reach to the ankle, with an extra foot piece stitched on. At the waist is a waist-band with six loops stitched on the inside, evidently for a belt which was then folded over to conceal the belt.

Fig 2. Trousers from Thorsbjerg Mose, West Germany

Daetgen and Marx-Etzel Trousers	Back to top
These trousers are of inferior weave and cut, being made of one piece of cloth for each leg with and extra panel in the middle to widen them. The Daetgen trousers had slits at the ankle, which presumably fastened with clasps similar to those used on women's sleeves. This fashion never transferred to England.

Colours and Fabric

Organic material from a Migration Period cheiftains grave at Evebo, Norway has shown that the trousers were highly coloured: the background was brownish red, with green stripes running in both directions and stripes of green and brownish yellow - forming a checked pattern. The fabric was woven in 2x2 twill.
Some Swedish examples show trousers of fur and there are possible links between the Swedish culture and East Anglia as the ruling family of the Wuffingas seem to have been of Swedish origin.

Fig 3. Example of a Herringbone 2x2 twill in red and yellow stripes with a green background.

Literary Evidence	Back to top
The trousers may have been called braccas (pronounced brac-cas).

Sources:
Dress in Anglo-Saxon England - Gale R. Owen Crocker
The Vikings Equipment Guide - No.1. Basic Costume

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