A Latin word referring to the vertical stripes decorating Roman tunics. With or without additional attached medallions of various shapes, clavi extend over the shoulders of a tunic from front to back. They could be woven in or sewn on after the garment was assembled.
clavi: (Lat., "that which shuts or fastens") clavi were initially an element of secular dress; they were woven into tunics in pairs, one crossing vertically over each shoulder. Originally clavi were an indication of senatorial rank; however, examples from Egypt indicate that they were later worn by people of less exalted status. Eventually the garments of bishops, archimandrites and hegoumenoi (abbots), were decorated with clavi, these are found on their mandyas, a type of monastic cloak; they symbolized the rivers of wisdom flowing from them. In Byzantine Art, Christ, the Apostles and Angels are most likely to be shown wearing garments bearing clavi.