petasus

The petasos is a wide-brimmed hat that appears in ancient Greek dress, primarily associated with travelers, pedestrians, and merchants. It was typically made of felt or leather and featured a broad brim to provide shade. The crown was usually simple, and a chin strap or cord could secure the hat during travel. Variants varied in shape and brim width, but the essential feature was the expansive brim.

In art and myth, the petasos is best known from its association with Hermes, the messenger god. Hermes is frequently depicted wearing a winged petasos, sometimes with wings attached to the sides or brim of the hat, alongside his winged sandals and caduceus. This iconography linked the hat with speed, travel, and communication. The petasos also appears on other travelers and vendors in vase paintings and sculpture, serving as a conventional symbol of mobility and exchange in the Greek world.

Etymology and historical context: the term comes from Greek πέτασος (petasos) and was later used in Latin as petasus. While the word persists in scholarly discussion, physical examples are rare; most evidence for the hat’s appearance and use comes from imagery in Attic and broader Hellenistic art and from literary references. The petasos reflects everyday practical headwear in antiquity as well as its symbolic role in myth and visual culture.