Orientalism and Ornamentalism: Athenian Reactions to Achaemenid Persia

The inclusion of her husband's demotic, Acharnae, tells us that Diophante was the daughter of an Athenian citizen. We do not know the occasion of the dedication but typically prized personal items were dedicated to Artemis at times of transition. The fact that her dedication is described as 'worn' fits the characterisation of prized personal possession, as does the fact that it was decorated with gold spangles. What makes this dedication worthy of note is the fact that it was a kandys, the most quintessentially Persian item of clothing known to the Greeks. It is easily recognisable in Persian art as the cloak-like garment worn hussar-style with empty sleeves hanging down (see Figure 7 below). What is an Athenian woman doing dedicating a kalldys as a used personal garment? Amidst the hundreds of other items of clothing dedicated to Brauronian Artemis, we find records of five other women who similarly owned a kandys. Two of the kandys were deemed worthy of