Clothing in the Roman Empire had a strong meaning. First, let’s look at the types of Togas they wore but what exactly is a Toga? A Roman Toga to put it simply, is a long piece of fabric draped over the shoulders in several different ways. Usually it was worn over a tunic or other undergarments and was pinned in place by a fibula or a broach, kind of like a modern day safety pin. If the toga was decorated that decoration had a symbolic connotation and was worn to make sure it was on display to other people. The Romans had 6 styles of Togas, each representing a specific status in their society. 1) Toga Pura: was a toga that any citizen of Rome might wear. It was made of a natural, undyed , whitish wool. 2) Toga Praetexta: this style was worn by a magistrate or by a freeborn youth (boy or girl) and they usually had a woven reddish-purple border. When adolescence ended a free male citizen would wear a white toga or virility. 3) Toga Pulla: was worn by a Roman citizen if they were in mourning. It was a darkened toga called a toga pulla. This style was usually all black for mourning. 4) Toga Candida: this style was worn by a Roman citizen who became a candidate for office. They made their toga pura whiter than normal by rubbing it with chalk. It was then called a toga candida and that is where we get the word “candidate.” 5) Toga Trabea: this style was reserved for elite individuals that had a stripe of purple or a saffron. Augurs were religious specialists that watched and interpreted the meanings of natural signs. They wore this type of toga and the purple and white stripes were worn by Romulus and other consuls officiating at important ceremonies. Sometimes the property-owning equite class of Roman citizen wore a toga trabea with a narrow purple stripe. 6) Toga Picta: these togas had designs on them and were decorated in gold embroidery or with solid colors. This style was worn by Generals. At the time of the emperors this was also worn by consuls when celebrating games. The imperial toga Picta: was worn by the emperor and was dyed a solid purple—truly a "royal purple." The toga was an article of clothing that half stately symbolism. According to the Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BCE), it was the earliest dress of both Roman men and women. It can be seen today on paintings and statues from as early as 753 BCE, the early years of the Roman Republic. They were common until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE. Togas worn in the early years were quite different from the end time of the Roman Empire. Early Roman togas were simple and easy to wear. They were small ovals of wool. Basically, everyone in Rome wore a toga, with the exception of servants and enslaved people. As time went on the toga grew in size from just over 12 feet to 15-18 feet. As a result, the semicircular cloth grew more and more cumbersome, difficult to put on, and just about impossible to work in. Typically, one arm was covered with fabric while the other was needed to hold the toga in place; in addition, the woolen fabric was heavy and hot. The Romans paid special attention to their clothing and wealthy Romans followed fashion trends of their time. The clothes were designed and marked in a manner that depicted the social status of the man wearing them. Common citizens wore unmarked clothes but those holding political or administrative positions had their clothes marked to show their standing in society. Male citizens of Rome usually wore a distinctive garment called ‘toga’. Married Women wore a different garment called ‘stole’, although they once wore ‘toga’ as well before the practice was abandoned. Unmarried girls wore tunics only. Different fabrics were used for the manufacturing of clothing. The most common was wool and it was considered sturdy and comfortable as it protected them against the cold weather. Almost all Roman families spun their own woolen fabric in their houses under the supervision of lady of the house. While ordinary women performed the duty of spinning themselves, rich women used their slaves for the job. Romans also imported silk from China and cotton from India for manufacturing clothes. Silk was used by wealthy Romans and was expensive and rare. Romans also used leather for manufacturing footwear, coats and other articles of clothing. They normally used pig and sheepskin leather for the purpose. Both Roman men and women wore loose garments called tunics. Male citizens also wore togas over tunics when they ventured out of their homes for business and socializing. The tunics were made of linen. You had to be a Roman citizen to wear a toga. After the 2nd century BC, Roman women were stopped from wearing togas. Influential and politically elevated individuals had their togas and tunics marked accordingly. Roman women wore tunics and a special garment called stola. At home, tunics were worn by men and women. A married women donned a more formal stola when going out or receiving guests at home. Roman girls however, wore tunics alone with varying length depending upon their usage. Stola was made of linen and was heavily pleated. Many women wore a shawl called a palla over the stola to keep them warm. They also wore decorations like ‘brooches’ over their clothes and even used ornaments to go with their clothes for more formal occasions. Women belonging to wealthy families also wore garments made from silk and other expensive imported fabrics. Unlike their masters, Roman slaves wore very modest clothing and what they wore depended upon their role and the task they performed. Menial slaves were given basic clothing like loin cloth and cloaks to wear. However, educated and skilled slaves were provided with better clothing. The best clothed slaves were perhaps the house slaves, who benefitted from their proximity to their masters and were provided higher quality fabric for their clothes. Roman slaves, regardless of their role and task, were not allowed to wear togas, a garment reserved for free living Roman citizens only. Romans mostly wore footwear made of leather. There were two types of footwear worn by Romans. Calceus, a sandal with an open toe and strapped to foot, and Soleae, a full shoe with a closed toe were the two main varieties. The color and style also depicted the social standing of a person. Senators or patricians wore red colored shoes. Here are 2 different types of fibula that were used to hold the toga in place and the different styles also represented the wearers standing in Roman society. A simple basic pin: A slightly more prominent pin:
I have a couple..... First ....This is a Bow type Fibula Group B3: Two-piece construction with a pin holding the spring and is commonly called a Trumpet Fibula... Second...Bronze 32mm diameter with a hinged pin and are More commonly known as a Disc Brooch. This type of brooch was not popular outside of the Roman provincies and was used around the 1st to the 2nd century AD...Due to the design it was probably not used for holding cloth in place but more as a decorative feature and probably would have had some sort of decorative inlay.
Are there any particularly respected dealers that you would suggest if someone wanted to add a piece to their collection? I assume its the usual: stay away from eBay if you don't know what you're doing, etc.
I never understood the reasoning behind an 18-foot toga being wrapped around a person, leaving only one arm usable. I can't think of anything more impracticle.
When a man only requires one arm - to be used "merely for gesturing".. you are in a different class then most of us.. especially then but even now. Unless....
After thinking about it I remember buying mine at a rock, gem and fossil show and sale a few years ago. It was an unlikely place to see them but I buy slot from him so I bought these. The price I paid was $12.50 each so that’s on the low side.
The Helios Gallery in the UK is quite reputable. (He usually has some wonderful Roman glass vases if you like that!) So is antiquities.co.uk (run by Christopher Martin, also a coin dealer, who, I believe, is on VCoins). Also Hixenbaugh.net in New York City. And Mark Goodstein at Explorer Ancient Art, via the Trocadero.com dealer platform. None of these is what I'd call a truly high-end, ultra- expensive dealer, except Hixenbaugh to a certain extent. I've purchased from all of them multiple times. Also Bron Lipkin's store at http://www.collector-antiquities.com/shop/gallery.html. Dr. Lipkin also has many useful pages and galleries on his website about fake antiquities and how to recognize them, including fibulae and brooches -- which happen to be one of the most commonly-faked types of Roman antiquities. See the pages of fake brooches beginning at http://www.collector-antiquities.com/real-or-fake/fake-roman-brooches.html. The general page about this kind of antiquity, http://www.collector-antiquities.com/general-information/brooches-and-fibulae.html, doesn't seem to be loading right now.
@DonnaML Thanks for mentioning Roman Glass. I do like them and you have some nice pieces. I have 3 or 4 new pieces that I forgot to post. I’ll make a note to get them on here soon.
