Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Ancient Rome was the center of the one of the largest and most powerful empires in history.
• The Roman conquered the whole mediterranean region and spred its influence to the middle East, Northern
Africa, Western and Central Europe.
• It reached the Height of its power between 100 and 200 A.D.
• After that the Roman Empire began to collapse because it became too big to rule.
• The language, Latin became the basis for many other European languages.
• Goverments and legal system in western world were founded on the Roman law.
• The Ancient Romans were the first to build bridges, concrete toads and sewage system.
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Roman clothing were simple.
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Wool was the material used to produce the garments, to some extent linen
• Almost all clothing were held together with either fastenings, such as broaches and clasps.
• Men would generally wear one of the two garments―tunic or tunica and toga.
Tunic
The most basic garment in Roman Clothing was the Tunic (Tunica).
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For most Romans and slaves the tunic would be the entire clothing they dressed.
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The Female Tunics would generally be longer, some were reaching to the ground.
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However, it took until the second or third century AD for long sleeves to become
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• These were either sleeveless or short-sleeved, and were made with 2 pieces of
• If a man was seen wearing a tunic with a purple stripe on it, called a clavus,
• A senator would wear a latus clavus that had a broad vertical purple strip in the
• As for an equestrian, the tunic, called the angustus clavus, would have 2 narrow
• As for the elite class, they would wear long-sleeved tunic, called the dalmatica,
instead of a toga.
Men's Clothing
Toga
• In early days toga was worn directly on the naked body, then later a simple tunic was added,tied at the the waist
the belt.
• Basically the toga was a large blanket, draped over the body, leaving one arm free.
• Usually the toga spanned between 2 1/2 and 3 meters long, apparently up to 5 1/2 meters long in some cases.
• A toga is nothing but a 20-feet piece of cloth, made of wool, that was wrapped around the body.
• However, later on, many would wear a simple tunic underneath along with a belt over the waist.
• Till the 2nd century BCE, only Roman men would wear them exclusively.
• The quality of material used for the toga would determine a person’s status.
• For the upper class, men wore thin,naturally-colored wool togas, where as men belonging to the lower class
had to wear togas made with either a coarse material or thin felt.
• Male children and magistrates for official ceremonies would wear a toga with purple border, known as the
toga praetexta.
• Togas with a gold border, called the toga picta or toga palmata, was worn by generals for a civil ceremonies
and religious rites.
• A trabea is a purple-colored toga that was worn by statues of deities and emperors.
• Saffron toga which was white with a purple band was worn by priests and priestesses,and by consuls during
public festivals.
Women's Clothing
• Women would wear fuller and longer, ankle-length tunics called the peplos and chiton.
• A peplos was made by partially sewing 2 pieces of rectangular fabric on either side.
• Women would pull the peplos over their heads and fasten it around the shoulders with pins and around the
waist with a belt.
• As for the chiton, the 2 pieces of fabric would be sewn only at the top with room
left for the armholes and head.
• Depending on the width of the fabric, the length would be determined accordingly.
• The tunics can either be made from colored or lightweight fabric like linen or silk.
Stola
• At the time of the marriage, a woman could then wear the stola which is a long, sleeveless tunic
worn over another tunic.
• Being a symbol of marriage, a woman could publicly proclaim her respectability and support traditions.
• Female children would wear a tunic that was just below the knees or slightly lower with a belt around the waist.
• While going outside, she would wear another, slightly longer, tunic over the first one.
Cloaks
Cloaks
Pallium
• The pallium was a worn by both men and women (known as palla for women).
• Worn by both men and women, paenula is a cloak with a hood that was worn during
bad weather for protection.
• If this cloak was made from leather, it was called paenula scortae.
• If it was made with heavy felt, the name would be paenula gausapina.
Lacerna
• The lacerna, a military cloak, was worn only by people belonging to the
middle class.
• The sagum is a cloak that was worn by Roman soldiers and officers alike.
• A shorter version of sagum, called sagulum, was also worn that would reach till the hips.
Laena
The laena was a thick, round-shaped cloak that was folded twice at the shoulders
as it was made with heavy fabric.
Paludamentum
• The red cloak, called the paludamentum, was worn only by the commander-in-chief
(consul or dictator) in the republican times. As part of the ceremony, the commander-in-chief
• Thus we can see how the various flowing garments formed a part of the
• Today, we can still catch glimpses of the ancient Roman clothing in many
• Sandals consisted of a stiff sole which was attached to the foot by leather cords, straps, or braided materials.
• Different types of boots were the shoes which were worn outdoors anything less would indicate that the
wearer lived in dire poverty.
• There were many different styles of Roman shoes which had many different types of designs and styles.
• Cheap materials were used for making shoes for slaves and laborers which were in the plainest of colors.
• Shoes were only provided for slaves if they were necessary for the work expected of the slave.
• Roman soldiers who were expected to march for many miles had to have strong shoes which were called caliga.
• Pero shoes was the name of the boots worn by agricultural workers.
• The pero was a soft leather shoe covering the entire foot and ankle.
• Embades shoes were enclosed boots which had to be "put on" with a foot stepping into them.
A long leather tongue came down over the top in front of the lacing, and the boots were lined with felt or fur.
• Endromides shoes were high boots generally worn by equestrians and hunters.
These high boots were split vertically up the inside middle to make them easier to put on.
PERO
Endromides
Embade
• Baxa or Baxea shoes were light sandals worn by intellectuals and actors. Made of vegetable leaves or palm leaves,
twigs, or fibres.
• Cheap and simple to make, worn indoors, possibly by some slaves - similar in style to a modern 'flip-flop'.
• Socccus were slippers without upper work used for indoor wear by both.
• Solea were slippers with upper work commonly worn during feasts or banquets.
• The materials used to make Roman shoes was predominantly leather, although wood was sometimes used to
make clogs and fibres to make sandals.
• The Ancient Romans were expert in the process of tanning and produced a supple leather which was ideal
for making Roman shoes.
• The Romans predominantly used the hide of animals such as a deer, ox or cattle to manufacture shoes.
• The thickest and most durable types of leather were used for making the soles of shoes and remaining weaker
leather was used for making sandals and the straps of shoes.
• Sheepskin and pigskin were used for the more expensive shoes and worn by wealthy Romans who were looking
for style and elegance rather than durability.
• A copper-vitriol solution containing iron called Melanteria was used to blacken leather shoes, such as those worn
in the Roman Army.
• Leather boots were made waterproof by an application of grease.
Hair styles & Beards
• When it came to the wearing of facial hair, Roman men went through several shifts in style over the long history of their
civilization.
• From the founding of Rome in 753 B.C.E. until about 300 B.C.E. , all men wore long beards and long hair.
• Then, in about 300 B.C.E. , a barber from the island of Sicily introduced the razor and everything changed. For the next
several hundred years.
• Roman men followed a simple rule about facial hair: slaves wore beards and free men and citizens did not.
• It took a vain emperor to change men's beard styles again.
• The emperor Hadrian (76–138 C.E. ) came to power as a result of his skills as a military general, and he ruled the Roman
Empire from 117 to 138 C.E.
• In order to hide his facial scars, Hadrian wore a beard and curly hair.
• In ancient Rome the emperor held all the power, and men across the empire followed his lead.
• Thus, beards once again came in style.
• Slaves, on the other hand, began to shave.
• When the emperor Constantine (c. 285–337 C.E. ) came into power in 306 C.E. , he brought a clean-shaven face back into
fashion again.
• When beards were in fashion, men took great care of them.
• They visited barbers to have their beards clipped, plucked, and curled.
• Wealthy men kept slaves whose sole duty was to care for their master's hair.
Ancient Roman Jewelry
• Apart from gold and various other precious metals, the Roman empire used glass to create their jewelry.
• Their precious jewelry gives us a comprehension of their culture and civilization.
• Just like various other ancient societies, Rome also had its unique strata of interpersonal classes.
• In the Roman civilization, jewelry was used for showing the cultural status of an individual rather than beautification.
• The jewelers and artisans used gold for chiseling the adornments as it was considered to be the precious metal from
the gods and was supposed to have originated from the Sun.
• The Roman empire was very conscious of their attires and jewelry; they created different methods to maintain their
jewelry by cleaning and polishing with natural substances and liquids.
• At some stage during the rule of Augustus, a leadership of serenity known as Pax Roman became popular in
Mediterranean regions and the European countries, and contributed in developing a productive artistic industry,
making precious historical jewelry, especially the glass designs, more popular.
Rings
• Romans loved to wear big rings — these exposed the status of the wearer and drew the attention of the people.
• A gold ring usually embedded a big Roman glass or gemstone, which was typically donned by the bureaucrats and Senators.
• The common individuals known as the Plebeians were authorized to use only rings made of metal.
• On the other hand, a few Plebeians have honored the authority to own a golden ring for the special service to the state or
bravery.
• Women of all ages of ancient Rome were more prone to use multiple rings of different designs and materials on their fingers
without the restrictions of social classes.
The Brooch
• Was popular and most valuable jewelry in that era was the brooch.
• The purpose was to add pieces of clothes and bring elegance to the outfit.
• Rather than stitching attire, the Roman empire preferred to attach them with clasps that were made of precious metals
and gold or with fibula (a clothing brooch).
• Fibulas were embellished with a chiseled stone, particularly cameo portraits and various other popular styles.
Bracelets
• Bracelets the same shape as coiling snakes (which were secured by gold hooks)
were usually noticed on the fingers of the Roman women.
• The very design of the coiling snake was specifically significant to the Roman empire because it was regarded
as a circular animal that seemed to be a flawlessly built living organism, which represented immortality.
• Since bracelets didn’t have any practical use, they were used solely for ornamental purposes.
• Bracelets made of pearls and gold were equally trendy in medieval Rome, and were worn around both wrists.
Amulets
• Young kids wore amulets known as bulla from the time of their birth.
• These were considered to be a protective shield against bad spirits and the evil eye.
• It was the same shape as a gold string or chain, and contained a sack and was a phallic mark.
• The Roman empire believed that men are the best of the two genders.
• Therefore, in order to protect the kids of this gender, they were required to wear amulets or talismans.
Seal rings
• The concept of seal rings or signet rings was initiated by the Roman empire, which made it easier for them to mark the seal
with hot wax on important and vital documents.
• Most of these rings were generally worn by upper-class dominant adult males of the community. Another achievement of
this particular ancient Roman span was the roll-out of gold coin rings that held the symbol of the dominating Emperor or
had the inscribed Roman insignia on it.
• Roman girls preferred to use earrings, necklaces, and a variety of armlets.
• The total quantity of jewelry worn by them on a hand or arm was seven or more.
Colours and dyes
From Rome's earliest days, a wide variety of colours and coloured fabrics would have been available; in Roman tradition,
the first association of professional dyers dated back to the days of King Numa.
Roman dyers would certainly have had access to the same locally produced, usually plant-based dyes as their neighbours
on the Italian peninsula, producing various shades of red, yellow, blue, green, and brown; blacks could be achieved using
iron salts and oak gall.
Other dyes, or dyed cloths, could have been obtained by trade, or through experimentation.
For the very few who could afford it, cloth-of-gold (lamé) was almost certainly available, possibly as early as the 7th century BC.
Throughout the Regal, Republican and Imperial eras, the fastest, most expensive and sought-after dye was imported.
Its hues varied according to processing, the most desirable being a dark "dried-blood" red.
Purple had long-standing associations with regality, and with the divine.
It was thought to sanctify and protect those who wore it, and was officially reserved for the border of the toga praetexta, and
for the solid purple toga picta.
For those who could not afford genuine Tyrian purple, counterfeits were available.
The expansion of trade networks during the early Imperial era brought the dark blue of Indian indigo to Rome; though desirable
and costly in itself, it also served as a base for fake Tyrian purple.
For red hues, madder was one of the cheapest dyes available.
It was a deep, bright and fiery yellow-orange, and was associated with purity and constancy.
It was used for the flammeum ("flame-coloured"), a veil used by Roman brides and the Flamenica Dialis, who was virgin at
marriage and forbidden to divorce.
Specific colours were associated with chariot-racing teams and their supporters.
During the later Imperial era, the Blues and Greens dominated chariot-racing and, up to a point, civil and political life in Rome
and Constantinople.