ABSTRACT
In the Ottoman period Orthodox Christian moved freely with the seasons between plain and mountain, but when new frontiers were drawn up after the Balkan wars they became separated, north and south Macedonia and in greater Epirus. During the first half of the twentieth century nomadic shepherds must have been familiar to travellers in northern Greece and the neighbouring areas. Some of these were Sarakatsani, who were recognizable, particularly the women, by their distinctive costume. The Sarakatsani women from the areas have been termed respectively Politisses and Voulgares and in many respects wore a costume with common elements. The Macedonian Sarakatsani settled in the villages of the Langadas Basin, since the 1950s have no recollection of the details of the costume worn by their parents and grandparents. If the accounts of a Sarakatsan origin in the mountains of Epirus have any substance, all versions of the costume should derive from that worn in this region, or rather from its archetype.
