paraliturgical garments which emperors, bishops, empresses, eunuch, and court members used, clearly marked class, status and individual power. However, it was believed that by wearing figure-concealing garments, each individual subordinated his or her own identity to the higher identity of the church. The color purple was used exclusively by emperors but a full range of vibrantly colored silks other than purple was available to the rest of the court and aristocracy (Bigelow 2000, pp. 107). In early Byzantium…
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