Clothing, Jewellery and Hairstyles in Roman Britain

People in Roman Britain usually wore tunics and cloaks which were made of wool.
Underclothes were made of linen.

The Romans introduced the toga to Britain. This was the traditional garment worn by a
Roman citizen. The toga was simply a semi-circular piece of white wool, but putting it on
involved a lot of complicated folding and the assistance of a slave. You ended up with
something like a long cloak with lots of loose folds.

Roman fashions in clothes, shoes, jewellery and hairstyles were keenly followed in Britain.
There were no fashion magazines, but people found out about new styles at the court of the
emperor from statues and coins which showed them what the emperor or empress looked
like.

Before the Roman conquest the Britons probably dressed like the Gauls who are described
by a Roman writer as having brightly coloured clothes with check patterns. He adds that
women in Gaul wore their hair long and held it up with pins. They also wore bracelets,
anklets and necklaces, but not rings or earrings.

We can find out about what clothes and jewellery people wore, and how they did their hair
after the Roman conquest of Britain from sculpture, paintings and mosaics. Some pieces of
clothing, as well as lots of leather shoes and many beautiful pieces of jewellery, including
brooches, buckles and necklaces, have been found by archaeologists.

Did you know? The writer Tacitus tells us that the 'toga was frequently seen' in Britain, but,
because it was so awkward to put on, it seems unlikely that anyone except a few wealthy
men ever wore one.

Everyday Clothes in Roman Britain

Both men and women in Roman Britain wore a woollen tunic with a belt around the waist.
Some tunics had sleeves and others did not. Tunics of different thicknesses were worn
according to the weather. Men usually wore shorter tunics than women, especially if they did
manual work.

Over their tunics Roman women wore a long sleeveless garment called a stola which came
down to their feet. Around their shoulders they wore a shawl or mantle called a palla.

For outdoors people wore woollen cloaks of various kinds which were usually hooded and
fastened at the neck.

Did you know? The Romans did not approve of trousers and thought they were only suitable
for barbarians!
Roman Shoes

The Romans in Britain wore an amazing variety of leather shoes ranging from army boots to
sandals and slippers, but they only survive in a few places like London where the ground is
wet enough to preserve them.

Soldiers usually wore boots called caligae.

Roman Jewellery

The Romans made beautiful jewellery items like brooches, rings and
necklaces out of the metals gold, silver, bronze and from other materials
like jet and bone.

Finger rings were not worn in Britain until they were introduced by the Romans. This is a
bronze ring which probably had a coloured glass bead set in it.

Roman Hairstyles
Women's hairstyles followed the fashions set by the empresses. In the late 1st century a
very elaborate hairstyle became fashionable which involved rows of curls rising above the
forehead supported by wire and padding while at the back there was a coil of plaits.

Native British women probably had less elaborate hairstyles than the wealthy Roman
women. This tombstone shows that some of them wore their hair in simple plaits.

7. The End of Roman Britain

By the year 400 Britain had been part of the Roman empire for over 350 years. The people
of Britain now thought of themselves as Romans and had done so for many generations.

In the 3rd century (after about the year 250) hostile forces from outside the empire had
begun to threaten many of its provinces, including Britain The Romans thought of these
enemies as uncivilised barbarians. New forts were built on the coast to keep them out.

In the 3rd and 4th centuries the Roman empire was weakened by disputes between rival
army commanders competing to be emperor. Strong emperors like Constantine 'the Great'
and Theodosius 'the Great' were able to prevent the empire from falling apart, but by about
the year 400 the barbarians could no longer be resisted.
In the early 5th century the Roman empire lost control of Britain. Its people had to defend
themselves as best they could against the Anglo-Saxons who came across the North Sea
and colonised eastern England.