The way men dressed in Minoan Crete is depicted on countless Minoan statuettes and on seal and fresco representations. The torso was usually uncovered while the buttocks were concealed by the so-called Minoan loincloth.

The Minoan loincloth was a small piece of material tightly tied around the buttocks. It appears in different shapes and lengths and tied around the body in many different styles. It usually resembled a short skirt, but there are two other shapes, though rare: the first resembles modern shorts and the other shorts with braces.

A tight waistband was worn to which a cod-piece was often attached. Athletes wore a smaller loincloth, comparable to today's swimming trunks or only a cod-piece fixed onto the waistband.