You are on page 1of 27

ANCIENT ROME

BACKGROUND
Rome was founded on 21th April 753 BC by Romulus
and Remus, twin son of Mars although archeologists
have found traces of Bronze Age people there dating
from 1500 BC. In the 7th century the Romans were
believed to have been united with their near neighbors,
the SABINES n became the most powerful village in
LATIUM, until the Etruscans conquered them in 616 BC.
With time, Roman power influenced n property grew to
proportions in the ancient world. After more than 40
years Octavian was succeeded by Tiberius and adopted
a step son who was followed his great nephew Gaius
Claudius who conquered southern Britain n neoro(lavish
spenders).Roman women shared the same life as those
from ancient cultures.

Arrange marriages were the norm and at


the age of 12 a girl was considered to be
marriagble. Restrictions were placed on the
freedom of women

COSTUMES
What we know of
roman lifestyle is
largely how the
upper class live. As
poorer Romans
didnt like books
much of what the
upper class wore.
Their clothes were
influenced by
Etruscans n Greeks
n to a lesser extent
by items worn in

The Romans divided their wardrobes into


two main categories colon idumenta, items
that were slipped over the head n removed
only for sleeping n amicus, clothing
wrapped or draped around the body. There
was seasonal clothing-SARCTORIAL
elements geared towards specific seasons
n weather conditions. Early Roman outer
wear included among other pieces midst
the poncho and trews or trousers which
were blvd to have been adopted from the
Germans.

MENS COSTUME
Roman fashions did not change much over
the centuries, but they did vary regionally.
In general, children wore smaller versions
of adult clothing. The toga was the formal
garment of a male citizen, originally worn
alone but later donned draped over a tunic.
It was an expensive, fine piece of fabric of
heavy white wool. It required frequent
cleaning. It was roughly semi-circular,
approximately 18 feet wide and 7 feet
deep. It was draped in a complicated
manner over a body. Several emperors had
to issue decrees ordering its use on public

The oldest representations of togas date


toward the later republic and show the toga
exigua, a short, simple version of the
garment. Toward the end of the republic,
the design became more complex,
incorporating thesinus (drapes falling from
the left shoulder to the right thigh, utilized
as a pocket or brought up over the right
shoulder as a sling) and the umbo (a
projecting mass of folds in front of the body
able to pulled up over the head to form a
hood.)

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOGA


TYPES OF
TOGA

APPEARANCE

TOGA PURA OR
TOGA VIRILES

Plain white,
Undecorated
wool

SIGNIFICANCE

The
plain toga of a
typical citizen.
Worn by boys
after age 15 or
16.

PICTURE

TOGA
CANDIDA

This was the


toga pura
lightened to
an exceptional
white

TOGA
PRAETEXTA

White with
purple border

A toga given a
shiny, glossy
look by
rubbing it
with chalk,
worn by
people
running for
public office.

Characterized
by a
purple stripe,
worn
by curule
magistrates as
well as boys
until
the age of 15 or

TOGA PULLA

TOGA PICTA

Black or dark
coloured toga

Purple or
crimson with
gold
embroidery

Made of
natural black
wool and worn
in funerals.

A crimson or
purple toga
embroidered
with gold,
donned by
victorious
generals in
triumphal
processions and
the emperors.

TOGA TRABEA

Multi colored,
stripped toga

Assigned to
augurs
( religious
officials who
prophesied
the future) or
to important
officials

Senatorial togas had a large purple stripe


(latus clavus). Equestrians wore a toga with
a narrow purple stripe (clavus angustus).
The basic garment of a Roman male,
however, was the short-sleeved tunic, worn
tied around the waist with a belt. It was
normally worn indoors, as well as by slaves
and children. Long tunics with sleeves were
considered effeminate. Extra tunics were
worn in colder weather.

Senators and equestrians wore tunics with broad

and narrow purple stripes, respectively, running


from soldier to hip on both sides. Tunics worn by
charioteers were dyed the color of their faction.
The dalmatic (dalmatica) was originally a shortsleeved or sleeveless tunic, but by the empire it
had long sleeves. It was made of wool, linen, or
silk, and worn by people in high position and
later as an ecclesiastical garment.
Some calvarymen and soldiers wore trousers,
but in general it was thought that long woolen
trousers (braca) were uncouth, worn by
barbarians outside the empire.

Capes and cloaks are also known to exist,

made from either wool or leather,


sometimes with hoods, such as the palla,
lacerna, paenula,caracallus, cucullus,
sagnum, and byrrus. Beards were
fashionable in early Rome, but did not
become popular again until the time of
Hadrian. There were many barbers.

Womens costume
Women originally wore togas like

the men, but later this practice was


confined to prostitutes and women
of ill repute. Therefore, women wore
tunics. Married women wore a stola
over the tunic, a long, full dress
gathered up by a high belt with a
colored border around the neck.

It could also gathered at the shoulder with

a brooch, and was considered the main


outergarment of a Roman woman.
Wealthy women wore clothes of rich colors
and fine materials, such as muslin and
silks. Some areas also saw women wearing
close fitting bonnets and hair nets. Women
also wore a palla, a long shawl made of
woolen goods for outdoor wear.

As fair as their hair

goes, women could do


anything! Hair could be
dyed golden red or
black. the hairdresser
could skillfully use a
curling iron for ringlets
and crude scissors. She
could also use oils and
tonics to hurry growth
and add both softness
and luster. In the late
1st century and early
2nd century high-piled
hairstyles of curls and
plaits became popular.

By the mid 2nd


century, less
elaborate plaits
and waives were
adapted. Hair was
usually styled at
home by slaves.
Dyes were used,
and blond hair was
fashionable. Black
hair wigs were
imported from
India and blond

In terms of makeup, a woman's face powder


was a mixture of powdered chalk and white
lead. Rouge for cheeks and lips was acher
or the lees of wine. Eyebrows and
eyelashes were blackened with ashes or
powdered antimony, and teeth glistened
with enamel. A lady chose her jewels, a
diadem of precious stones for the hair,
earrings, at least one necklace, rings for
her fingers, bracelets for her wrists, and
circlets for her ankles. A woman was
typically accompanied by two slaves, one
with a parasol.

FOOTWEAR:
Various types of

leather shoes and


boots were worn,
from heavy
hobnailed varieties
to light sandals and
slippers. A carlatina
was a sandal made
from one piece of
leather with a soft
sole and openwork
upper fastened by
a lace.

A soccus has a sole without hobnails and a separate

leather upper. A calceus was a hobnailed shoe secured


by laces. A solea was a simple sandal with a thong
between the toes and a hobnailed sole. A caliga, worn
by soldiers, was a heavy sandal with a hobnailed sole
and separate leather upper fastened by thongs (the
emperor Caligula's name means little boots). Shoes
could also be made of wood.
Women typically wore sandals similar to those of men,
but they were of softer, finer leather. Winter shoes were
often cork-soled. Sometimes the soles were thickened to
provide the illusion of height. Women did not wear
stockings, but rather strips of woolen cloth wrapped
around their legs if needed.

JEWELERY
The Romans used a

diverse selection of
materials in their jewelry
due to the accessibility of
a wide variety of natural
resources found across
the European and
Mediterranean continents
which were under their
dominion. They also had
an extensive network of
trade, which gave them
accessto exotic materials
and precious gemstones.

COSMETICS:
Cosmetics, first used in Ancient Rome for ritual

purposes, were part of daily life for women, especially


prostitutes and the wealthy. Some fashionable
cosmetics, such as those imported from China,
Germany and Gaul.
Working-class women could afford the cheaper
varieties, but may not have had the time (or slaves) to
apply the makeup as the use of makeup was a timeconsuming affair because cosmetics needed to be
reapplied several times a day due to weather conditions
and poor composition. Cosmetics were applied in
private, usually in a small room where men did not
enter. Cosmetae, female slaves that adorned their
mistresses, were especially praised for their skills.

They would beautify their mistresses with

cultus, the Latin word encompassing


makeup, perfume and jewelry.
Scent was also an important factor of
beauty. Women who smelled good were
presumed to be healthy. Due to the stench
of many of the ingredients used in
cosmetics at the time, women often
drenched themselves in copious amounts
of perfume. Christian women tended to
avoid cosmetics with the belief that they
should praise what God gave them. Some
men, especially cross-dressers, did use

HAIR DRESSES
Men's hairstyles in ancient

Rome were very simple.


Prior to the introduction of
the razor in Rome in about
300 B.C.E., men tended to
wear both their hair and
their beards long. After the
introduction of the razor,
however, short hair,
combed forward, became
the most common
hairstyle for men. They
could wear a ceremonial
form of headwear known
as a corona, or crown.

The most honored corona was made from

weeds, grass, and wildflowers collected


from Roman city. Other ceremonial coronas
were worn at civic occasions such as
weddings and funerals. In the early years of
Roman history, women tended to wear
their hair long and very simply. They parted
it in the center and gathered it behind the
head in a bun or a ponytail. Both men and
women resorted to other means to change
their hair. Dyeing the hair was very popular
among women, with blonde being a
favorite color

You might also like