Clothing Roman Empire

in status-conscious society of romans, clothing , personal adornment gave immediate visual clues etiquette of interacting wearer. wearing correct clothing supposed reflect society in order. toga distinctive national garment of roman male citizen, heavy , impractical, worn conducting political business , religious rites, , going court. clothing romans wore ordinarily dark or colourful, , common male attire seen daily throughout provinces have been tunics, cloaks, , in regions trousers. study of how romans dressed in daily life complicated lack of direct evidence, since portraiture may show subject in clothing symbolic value, , surviving textiles period rare.

women wall painting @ villa of mysteries, pompeii

the basic garment romans, regardless of gender or wealth, simple sleeved tunic. length differed wearer: man s reached mid-calf, soldier s shorter; woman s fell feet, , child s knees. tunics of poor people , labouring slaves made coarse wool in natural, dull shades, length determined type of work did. finer tunics made of lightweight wool or linen. man belonged senatorial or equestrian order wore tunic 2 purple stripes (clavi) woven vertically fabric: wider stripe, higher wearer s status. other garments layered on tunic.

the imperial toga vast expanse of semi-circular white wool not put on , draped correctly without assistance. in work on oratory, quintilian describes in detail how public speaker ought orchestrate gestures in relation toga. in art, toga shown long end dipping between feet, deep curved fold in front, , bulbous flap @ midsection. drapery became more intricate , structured on time, cloth forming tight roll across chest in later periods. toga praetexta, purple or purplish-red stripe representing inviolability, worn children had not come of age, curule magistrates, , state priests. emperor wear all-purple toga (toga picta).

in 2nd century, emperors , men of status portrayed wearing pallium, greek mantle (himation) folded tightly around body. women portrayed in pallium. tertullian considered pallium appropriate garment both christians, in contrast toga, , educated people, since associated philosophers. 4th century, toga had been more or less replaced pallium garment embodied social unity.

roman clothing styles changed on time, though not rapidly fashions today. in dominate, clothing worn both soldiers , government bureaucrats became highly decorated, woven or embroidered stripes (clavi) , circular roundels (orbiculi) applied tunics , cloaks. these decorative elements consisted of geometrical patterns, stylized plant motifs, , in more elaborate examples, human or animal figures. use of silk increased, , courtiers of later empire wore elaborate silk robes. militarization of roman society, , waning of cultural life based on urban ideals, affected habits of dress: heavy military-style belts worn bureaucrats soldiers, , toga abandoned.