Roman public education arose around the eighth century BC. At first it was a small settlement on the left side of the Tiber River. By II-I centuries. BC. it grew into the Roman Empire, thus becoming the locomotive of the development of Europe, the greatest empire that subjugated almost half the world: from the Strait of Gibr altar to Persia, from the British Isles to the Nile Delta.
The influence that spread over a vast territory was the result of the fact that many ideas of European peoples about spirituality and social life, as well as traditional values, came from Rome, which, in turn, adopted them from Ancient Greece. The first trendsetters in Europe were also the Romans, whose clothes are still relevant today.
The history of the Roman Empire is divided into three main stages:
– Tsarism (VIII – VI centuries BC).
– Development of the Republic (III – I centuries BC).
– Development of the Roman Empire (I – 5th century AD).
All historical changes can be identified by how Roman clothing was transformed, detailed below.
General information
Even in ancient times, the Romans developeda detailed and detailed system of decoration. So, according to her, the official clothes of the Romans are a toga and a tunic for men, and for women - a stola, institute and pall.
Each type of clothing was a single piece of fabric without seams. This feature of Roman clothing was considered a confirmation of commitment to the unique culture of the Mediterranean, making the Romans representatives of a progressive urban civilization.
The special difference of the decoration was that the most popular and universal was the white clothes of the Roman, which could be worn at home, in public places, and at official meetings. This color was considered neutral. It was also popular among the people because the entire territory of the Roman Empire was located in a hot climate zone, and white, as you know, repels the sun's rays, and it is not hot in such clothes.
Toga as the clothes of the ancient Romans
She was considered not just an official attire, which was worn at ceremonial events and various serious meetings. Toga - the most popular men's clothing of the Romans - a woolen shirt with short sleeves - was a kind of sign of allegiance to the Roman Empire, belonging to a great civilization. The robe, cut from a linen of white wool with a bright purple stripe, was worn exclusively by senators, representatives of the highest social class in Rome.
During the period of the Middle Republic (an era that lasted from the second half of the 4th to the beginning of the 3rd century BC),special techniques and rules for wearing the toga, which were observed until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476.
Tunic
Another popular clothing of the Romans - tunic - was a shirt with short sleeves made of wool. Sleeveless options were also widely used. Most often, such decoration was worn with a belt, since a tunic without this accessory was perceived as simple underwear, which gave it an indecent look.
A distinctive feature of this attire was that it had no neckline. This was due to the features of the cut. It was impossible to create a full neckline.
Tunics were covered with a solid vertical stripe of scarlet color, which made it possible to distinguish senators and horsemen from ordinary Roman citizens. On the clothes worn by the senators, there was one wide strip from the collar to the hem. Two narrow stripes were applied to the tunics of the riders (also from the collar to the hem). These bands had their own name: clavus (literally means "band"). Accordingly, the tunic of senators was called laticlava (“with a wide stripe”), and those of horsemen - angusticlava (“narrow stripes”).
Women's clothing: tables
The stola was considered as important an element of women's clothing as a toga for men. She showed that the fair sex belonged to the Roman Empire, talked about her social status (tables were supposed to be worn only by wives and mothers, and girls and unmarried ladies did not wear them).
Stola, the important garment of the Romans, is a woolen shirt with shortsleeves, similar to an elongated tunic, which was belted under the chest and at the waist. On the statue of Juno, which the sculptor dressed in the clothes of a noble resident of Rome, you can see the only image of a table with a lowered palla. Also, a feature of Juno's attire was that the tables had no sleeves.
At present it is difficult to imagine what the above-described clothes of the Romans looked like. For obvious reasons, there are no photos of that period, and paintings and sculptures have not been preserved. In addition, there is no exact data on how long the tables were sewn. But in any case, regardless of the presence or absence of sleeves, it is safe to say that this type of decoration fully fit the ancient Roman canons of draped clothing.
Casual robes of the Romans
The following types of clothing belonged to everyday clothes: sagum, penula, kamisa, lacerna, palla and many others. The Romans, whose clothes were strictly divided into formal and casual, clearly classified the decorations. So, everyday outfits were an open system, which was constantly replenished with new types.
Women's clothing of the Romans - woolen lacerna, sagum and palla - were varieties of cloak. As a rule, such decorations were colored pieces of fabric that were worn on top of togas or tunics and held with a graph around the neck.
One of the most famous in the history of lacerna was the moment when Cassius, deciding that he had lost the battle, wanted to end his life. He put on this piece of clothing, after which he gave the orderkill yourself.
Sagum was a similar piece of dyed cloth. Its only difference from lacerna was that it was sewn from thicker and coarser types of fabric.
Sagum was much shorter than the lacerna, and in its shape resembled a square. He gained the greatest popularity among the soldiers who served in the provinces in the north of the Roman Empire. So, it is known that the statesman Tsetsina walked in a sagum with a striped color. Well, if we consider the cloak as a type of Roman clothing, then it could be seen on the five-time consul of Rome Claudius Marcellus, on Tertullian and on many other figures in politics, art and culture.
Cloak in Ancient Rome
This is an outfit that many Romans loved very much. Clothing of this type played the role of drapery. It is worth saying that this type of decoration was common to all the peoples of the Mediterranean. Other types of Roman clothing (for example, the shirt and penula) are variations of cut and sewn materials, and cutting and sewing are alien occupations to the Roman people, so they are definitely not Roman in origin.
Shoes
Shoes in the Roman Empire became widespread, as the state introduced a special law, according to which it became the duty of all citizens to wear them. The most expensive products were intended for consuls, senators and soldiers. Sandals were considered the most popular type of footwear, as they could be worn by representatives of all segments of the population. In addition, free citizens were allowed to wear high-rise calcei boots.
Representatives of the aristocracy woresimilar boots embellished with silver buckles and black leather straps. Ordinary Roman residents wore the same shoes, but only without decorations. Of course, the imperial ones differed from all the calci: they had a bright purple color. Because of this, a saying appeared in Rome: “Put on purple shoes,” which meant taking the state throne.
Soldiers and travelers were asked to wear kaligi - high boots made of coarse leathers. They differed in that they had open toes and a massive sole lined with nails.
Kurbatins were considered peasant shoes, which were made from a piece of rough leather and fastened with straps.
Headwear and hairstyles
The Romans borrowed some types of hats from the Greeks. As a rule, hats and caps were made from felt, cowhide and straw. It was not uncommon for women to use part of the floor, which was thrown over their heads, as a headdress. Men often used the edge of the toga for this purpose.
Until the 1st century BC it was considered honorable for men to have a long beard and hair, but later, with the advent of a new era, short haircuts and clean-shaven faces became fashionable.
The hairstyles of the women of Ancient Rome, like those of the modern fair sex, were distinguished by a variety of types. Some ladies curled their hair into curls, while others braided long braids or lowered their hair around their necks, lifted it to the crown, wrapped braids around their heads, etc. In addition, numerous types of hairstyles are veryoften complemented with fashionable accessories like kokoshniks, as well as hairpins, wreaths or tiaras.
Accessories from the inhabitants of Rome
The period of formation and flourishing of the Roman Empire was marked by rapid economic development and social upsurge. People began to live in abundance, so it became necessary to complement everyday clothes with some original jewelry. So, on men one could see large rings, medallions and buckles. Women often wore brooches made of precious stones and precious woods on their dresses, and many rings were put on their fingers.
Body Care
It is known all over the world that the main lovers of hygiene in antiquity were the Romans. Their clothes were washed in aqueducts. Many residents of the city had access to various cosmetics, including hair coloring agents, aromatic oils, artificial teeth, false eyebrows, body paint and much more. It was very popular to use cosmetic slaves, who were called beauticians and tonsoros.
