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In festivals and triumphs and when ambassadors are present [the Romans] used to put on many-colored chitons and cloaks, with gold and purple and otherwise costly, and ones scarlet in color in common assemblies, which they called Atrabatic [ones] from their color; for they call black atron;[1] or because they are accustomed to use these with trabeas; trabeas [trabaiai] is the name for costly cloaks.[2]

Atrabatikas: en tais heortais kai tois epinikiois kai parontôn presbeôn eneduonto chitônas kai chlamudas poikilas, apo chrusou kai porphuras kai allôs pôs poluteleis, en de tais koinais sunodois xêrampelinas to chrôma, has ekaloun Atrabatikas apo tou chrômatos: to gar melan atron kalousin: ê hoti meta trabaias tautais eiôthesan chrêsthai: trabaiai de legontai hai poluteleis chlamudes.

Preger, Scriptores originum Constantinopolitanarum 157.17-158.3 = ps.-Codinus, Patria Constantinopoleos 2.14a.
The headword adjective, here in the accusative plural, may -- contrary to the two etymologies here suggested -- be derived from the Atrabates, a people of Gallia Belgica who were renowned for their high-quality woollens. The word occurs frequently in Constantine Porphyrogenitus, de cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae.
[1] That is, the Latin ater, atra, atrum. See also alpha 4391.
[2] cf. tau 884. The trabea was, according to the OLD, a short purple garment of Etruscan origin, worn on certain ritual occasions and as a dress uniform by the equites.

David Whitehead (modified translation; augmented note and keywords; cosmetics) on 27 August 2002@06:39:57.
David Whitehead (expanded primary note; more keywords) on 29 April 2012@04:37:50.
Catharine Roth (cosmetics) on 9 August 2013@00:01:53.
Catharine Roth (coding) on 13 December 2015@22:53:26.

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