Peplum

• Peplum, also known as Sword and Sandal, refers to the low budget Greco-Roman Epic films made in Italy between 1958-1965 CE, after which they were replaced by the Spaghetti Western.
• Peplum also means a ladies overskirt.

Origin of the Phrase

• The phrase ‘Peplum’ was invented by French art critics in the 1950’s.
• The word Peplum is derived from the Latinised Greek word ‘Peplos’ which was a woman’s body-length garment as depicted on Ancient Greek Caryatid Statues and worn in c.500 BCE.

Ladies overskirt

• During the 19th century CE, a ‘Peplum’ was a term invented to apply to a ladies overskirt and the term remains in current use.