Apr 11, 2025
New things I have learned about the cyclas:
the name originally referred to a swanky imported fabric the surcotes were made from, and didn't shift to mean the surcote until the mid-13th
the fabric was made in the Cyclades Islands, which at the time were part of the Byzantine empire, and was named after them
which means the period pronunciation was probably kee-klas
historians aren't sure what the fabric was, but given that it was used to make surcotes but not tunics or hose, it was probably stiff and heavy. Best guess is some kind of silk brocade.
