Ancient Romans: Clothing and Life

Did the concept of fashion exist in pre-Christian times? Was fashion before fashion? Look at the statues of the emperors and gods, which are preserved in the museums of the Vatican - so the ancient Romans looked and dressed. Their clothes were distinguished by the refinement of draperies and the simplicity of the silhouette. Who invented these outfits? Was anyone involved in clothing in terms of class and financial status? Were there differences in the apparel of nobles and commoners? And maybe the ancients only dealt with wars and philosophy and wore only simple cloths of untreated fabric on the body, because both the Romans and the Greeks had a cult of a beautiful body?

Interest in history will never fade away

Already about eighteen centuries have passed since the great ancient civilizations have sunk into oblivion, and we continue to be interested in what the clothes of the ancient Romans were like, how their life was arranged, how they conducted their affairs and what they did for leisure. For a long time ago, much has been forgotten and erased from the memory of mankind, but the surviving works of philosophers, poets, mythology, frescoes, some utilitarian and ritual utensils, women's and men's jewelry, weapons, monuments of architecture and art allow making certain conclusions and speculating about Life on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black seas - in Asia Minor, the Apennines and the Balkans.

Was there a fashion in antiquity?

Fashion, of course, was then. She did not bypass both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The clothing of the Romans and Greeks was by no means merely a means of warming the frozen bodies. She answered, rather, aesthetic needs, rather than physical.

The ancient Romans, whose clothing is largely borrowed from the Greeks, brought to it a share of asceticism and practicality. Actively decorate their outfits with jewels, the Romans became only at the end of the empire, when debauchery and other carnal passions prevailed over the mind and patriarchal traditions of the fathers.

What is the clothing of the ancient Romans and Greeks? Second grade of secondary school introduced us to her as a child. These are tunics and togas, which freely fit the body, without binding the movements. The ancient amphorae for wine and olive oil, found on excavations, preserved drawings with scenes on everyday and battle topics. Clay and metal proved to be more durable than fabrics. But, judging by the elegant draperies, the materials from which the clothes of the ancient Romans and Greeks were made were thin and plastic.

What did fabric for clothing do?

What raw materials were used in the weaving industry? With a high degree of probability, we can say that it is cotton, flax and wool. Silk Romans did not know, until the 1st century BC. Then a cloth from wild silk was brought from China, but it did not take root. At the beginning of the 1st century AD, a new type of cloth appeared in Rome - from mixed fibers of silk with cotton, and also from silk with linen. From the same China began to bring silk yarn, and Roman weavers began to make of her matter. Perhaps, in addition to these, fabric for clothing was made from other fibers, such as hemp, palm, nettle, etc. The yarns from these plants are not very durable and beautiful in the product. The researchers found the beaver's hair, camel and filaments of fibrous asbestos in the tissues that the ancient Romans made. Clothing, in the fabric of which the fibers of asbestos are woven, is draped in a special way and very beautifully shines in the sun.

The peculiarities of attitudes towards clothes of the soldiers of the ancient victorious armies

From Egypt came the fashion for leather goods. Egyptian leathers were distinguished by the fineness of the finish and the durability of the paint. Roman soldiers dressed in leather armor, and the Greeks fought naked. On this score historians do not have complete agreement. Frescoes depicting battles show soldiers without clothes, however, during the excavations, bronze armor dating from the same period was found.

The Romans did not wear a trouser, considering them barbarous clothes, but during the hikes deep into Europe, where weather conditions were more severe than in the Apennines, Roman soldiers were forced to master wearing trousers. About this remained the memory in the form of a picture on the column of Trajan - on it the Roman legionaries in narrow, slightly lower knee breeches.

About how the clothes of the ancient Romans are called, is written in the writings of Virgil, Seneca, Cicero and others. In those days the fashion was not so changeable and fleeting as it is now. Since Rome was greatly influenced by the Etruscan and Greek civilizations, the life and clothes of the ancient Romans and Greeks are similar in many respects.

Toga

Toga refers to the number of non-sewn garments. This is the outer clothing of the ancient Romans. It is a canvas, straight on one side and rounded on the other - it looks like a cropped oval. In toga wrapped up during the day, using it as an outer garment, and also at night, spreading it on a bed like a sheet, or hiding themselves like a veil.

Until the 4th century BC, the toga was an accessory of both men's and women's wardrobes. Subsequently - only male. Not citizens did not have the right to wear toga. It should be noted that an assistant was required for dressing in this flap , in those days - a slave. Men's clothing of the ancient Romans of the aristocratic class was not distinguished by the desire for asceticism. This mentality is closer to the Greek civilization. The Romans loved luxury and carnal pleasures. The tocs of the Roman patricians were about two meters wide, and up to 6 meters long. A slave, who knew how to place the folds particularly beautiful, was expensive. According to the rules, it was required that the right shoulder and part of the breast should remain open, and on the left side there was a band of ornament.

The Emperor wore a purple toga. In addition to him, the commander-triumphant also had the right to dress in this color. Sometimes the toga was decorated with embroidered palm branches on it. A striped toga with a purple border was part of the wardrobe of the augurs and the sallies, that is, the clergy or the priestly estate.

The black toga was considered mourning and was worn as a symbol of sorrow for the deceased relative.

Tunic

I must say that the women's clothing of the ancient Romans did not differ in the complexity of the cut. She was as laconic as the man's.

Difficult to wear and requiring a lot of expensive thin fabric, the toga in the first centuries of our era completely out of fashion, and the tunic was survived by the civilizations that created it, firmly entrenched in our wardrobes.

Tunic is a t-silhouette dress worn by women and men of all classes. Women sewed themselves tunics long to the ankles, sometimes with long sleeves. Rich aristocrats wore a few transparent tunics, one on top of the other. One of them could be made of pleated fabric.

Accessories

Belts embroidered with stones, coins or mother of pearl were used as accessories. On the neck they put on a large necklace, lying on the shoulders, back and chest like a coquette. Unlike the Greek women, the Romans paid little attention to the decorative finishing of fabric embroidery. But they worn no less ornaments. In addition to neck necklaces and belts, they decorated themselves with bracelets, rings and earrings. Gold was a measure of prosperity and position in society.

Underwear

Often, before putting on a tunic, the Romans wrapped the chest and hips with a cloth. One of the frescoes of Villa Del Casale depicts women in a bikini. It is assumed that these are the prototypes of modern underwear. However, at that time it was clothing for sports. Despite the warm climate, the change of seasons was still felt. The ancient Romans, whose clothing was made of wool, linen and cotton and did not differ in cut, in the cold season wore several layers of woolen tunics.

Chiton

It is strange that the Romans did not adopt the custom among Greeks to wear tunics. This is a very comfortable apparel, which was not sewn, but was connected on the shoulders with fibula buckles. For a long time it was believed that the Greeks wore only white clothes. This is not true. White color, really was one of the favorite, but the bleaching of fabrics was time consuming and time consuming. For this reason, white coats were classified as festive.

On ordinary days the Greeks wore colorful and very bright outfits. As the dyes used minerals, plants and marine mollusks. The latter served as a source for obtaining a purple pigment. Greeks before the Romans began to wear silk, although it was very expensive, as it was imported from the East. Purple silk tunics were worn only by very rich people.

Despite the fact that the clothes were not stitched, but only chipped, the bottom of the tunic should not have been stiff. This was a sign of mourning or material need, which was considered a disgrace. The lower edge was folded and carefully secured so that the threads did not protrude outward. Although this work was performed by slaves, Greek women from childhood learned all sorts of needlework.

Even the richest and most noble Hellenes could sew, embroider in stitch and cross, cook food and take care of their household.

Outerwear

Walking outside the house in one tunic was indecent. From above always put on a raincoat. A man's raincoat-gimatiy or chlamys was not as dressed as a woman's, and was made from a coarser fabric. Female - peplos or hlinna - it is always a work of art. Since Hellenes rarely left their home, Peplos was trimmed with the most beautiful beads and braid, carefully thought over the drapery and embroidery. To weight and create a stable fold in certain places, weighed in weights - coins or pebbles - and decorated them with small brushes.

Hairdressing Art of Antiquity

Greece was famous for its hairdresser's art. Hairstyles were made by professionals. They beautifully cut their hair, intricately braided and stacked. Moreover, the Greeks dyed their hair. Courtesans brightened, and family women, on the contrary, dyed hair in darker shades. The hair was a component of the whole image and harmoniously blended with the ensemble. In Greece, the fashion for wigs begins. They were made of natural hair, and fashionistas had several different wigs.

Education as the main driving force of society

The Romans attached great importance to education. At the age of seven, children were identified in schools. In some of them, combined training for both sexes was practiced. The education of girls was considered no less important than the education of boys. It is from the Roman tradition that a system of three-level education - primary, secondary and higher - has come. At the age of 18, young men were drafted for military service.

Wealthy families focused on additional home schooling, for this purpose educated slaves, mainly from Greece, were acquired as teachers. Slaves were also sent to get the education they needed. They often became managers of the possessions of their masters, performed bureaucratic work in state bureaucratic institutions.

Subsequently, freed-up slaves took managerial posts in Rome, ousting the titular citizens from legal positions. The advantages of slaves to the Romans were expressed in the fact that they, having a good education, did not shy away from any work, and in the system of government and legislation gradually began to understand much better than the indigenous Roman citizens.

This skewed democratic structure of society and determined the future destiny of the Empire.