Roman Clothing
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Transcript Roman Clothing
Roman Clothing
Clothing design and purpose
revealed social status
signified rank, status, office and authority.
Sumptuary Laws Dictated
type
of clothes and included
the types of material and fabrics,
the style of the clothes
the color that people were allowed to wear
only Emperor allowed to entirely purple toga
The
clothes that men wore, therefore,
immediately reflected their status in
society.
Basic garment
Tunica
made from spun wool
knee-length, short-sleeved shirt
belted at the waist
worn largely by the plebians, slaves, and freedmen
undergarment for higher-class citizens
provided
more room to move
cooler in the hot summer months
Tunica
Gladiators
Slaves
Poor
Non-citizen
Undergarment
For citizens.
Used for warmth
Worn casually
Toga
Official
garment of Rome
Originally Etruscan for men and women
Roman Republic- exclusively male Roman
citizens
Several
types of togas
worn by different populations of Roman
citizens
Toga
early toga virilis
late toga virilis
Toga continued
large
single piece of cloth.
ideal ceremonial toga was three times
the wearer's height plus his waist
measurement.
Its width would be seven or eight feet,
also depending on the wearer's height
and girth.
The corners were severely rounded
Oval shape (literally egg-shaped, with the
one end rounded less than the other
Roman boys
White, knee-length
tunicas
featured a thin purple border
wore
a bulla
pouch attached to a chain worn around the
neck
contained various protective charms
Age
16 or 17
declared a man and citizen
changed into a solid white tunic -- toga virilis
Dressing in a toga
Difficult
with so much material
Two slaves helped Romans dress
Where to put pecunia or speeches?
Slaves carried items for masters
Sinus- folded part at right hip, rising in front
of body-acted as pocket
Sinus
The
elaborate
folds of
the later
toga
allowed
for a
substantial
sinus, used
as a small
pocket.
sinus
Toga style
Usually natural wool color
Political candidates bleach
with chalk
togas or whiten
easily seen and recognized in crowds.
candida (bright) aut sordita (dirty, worn)
Derivative "candidate
the brightened toga was the toga candida (candida = bright)
toga candida may help with election but
also source of derision in drama and on streets
Derivative “sordid”
If wearer had disarranged hair and is messy
either wearer seeking big favor from patron or
appearing as accused in civil law court
“variation of "I am too poor and distraught to take
care of myself, so please have pity."
When a boy becomes a man…
Etruscans
◦ narrow maroon stripe added to one side
of cloth (never really purple)
Toga praetexta –
Young boys wore narrow-striped version
Toga virilis- manly toga
Around age 16
feast of Liberalia usually in March
Certain magistrates, priests also wore
narrow-striped toga
but person old enough that not mistaken for boy
Toga praetexta
Roman Women
Early
Etruscan period and early prerepublican monarchy
women wore togas (but this changed)
strategically draped so no male gawking
rapidly went out of style
some scholars connect it to Sabine women
loosely draped toga on woman became sign of a
loose woman -- only prostitutes wore them.
(story) Agrippina the Younger, Nero's mother,
appeared in public in toga
To emphasize her power and man-like authority
mob whispered "harlot" after she passed.
Roman Women
Unmarried
Roman women
Wore a tunic similar to the Greek chiton
Shorter sleeves, belted, adorned with pins to shape
the garment into different styles.
Woman’s status determined color, fabric
married Roman women wore a stola,
looser tunic, long, sleeveless with straps at shoulders,
gathered at the waist.
a pulla used to cover head and hair when out in public
First bikini?
Undergarments
strophium et subligaculum
leather, cloth
Female tunica
Two Styles of the Chiton
(Female Tunica)
Chiton
Fibula
The chitons could be secured with brooches known as fibulae
Stola and palla
Jewelry
More jewelry
Popular hairstyles
Footwear
Caliga- shoes worn by Roman soldiers
Footwear
Socccus were slippers without
upper work used for indoor
wear by both sexes
Solea were slippers with
upper work commonly worn
during feasts or banquets
very poor were barefoot
poor wore wooden shoes.
Signet ring
Dressing up!