By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
(n.)
Pronounced “KAI-tun,” usually replacing the “t” with a glottal stop.
As seen on various U.S. and world coins, a chiton is an ancient Greek form of clothing–much like the later Roman tunic–worn by both men and women. Women usually wore a version of the garment that went all the way down to the ankles. A belt called a zoster was often worn to prevent the full length of the fabric from tripping the wearer. Lady Liberty, on the obverse of the Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagle, is wearing a Doric chiton, a more archaic form of the garment (fastened at the shoulders) than the later Ionic style.
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