The Importance Of Roman Clothing In Ancient Roman

Have you ever wondered what people in the Elizabethan Era wore? Fashion was just as important in those days as it is to some people today. What people were wearing mattered to others, and even the government. During the Elizabethan Era clothing, accessories, and cosmetics were all a part of daily life.

There are two trade goods that stick out and are well known and those are silk and spices; however many do not know of the other goods that were traded between the two peoples. Ginger and pepper were the main two spices that were transported; pepper was the more popular of the two. Silk came from China and was crafted and decorated by the people of India and then to Rome where it was treasured. Another textile that took Rome by storm was an indigenous plant to India-cotton; this plant was refined, dyed by merchants, then sold to the Western world. While there are two wildly popular traded good, textiles and spices, there are also rather unknown goods. Gems were harvested in India and sold to the Western world along with peacocks. These two goods were both rare and extremely expensive. These two items were a sign of aristocracy and wealth. The last thing is not an object, but instead it is an idea. Knowledge about another culture as well as the record of weather patterns and how they affected international travel is something that had an enormous impact on the

Wool was the basis for one of the most important industries in Pompeii – the washing and dyeing of wool and the manufacture of cloth, as well as the laundering, bleaching and re-colouring of clothes. The raw wool was first degreased by boiling in leaden boilers, then once it was carded it was sent to spinners and weavers in private homes or shops and then it was coloured (often in bright colours such as purple and saffron) before distribution to cloth merchants.

Draped in flowing teal cloth, Portia is a visual anomaly in comparison to the rest of the cast, who standardly is dressed in a strict uniform of white collared shirts, black kilts, and red sashes to accent. The stark contrast of just colour itself ostracizes Portia from the rest of the characters; a notable costuming choice, as she represents an entirely different dimension to the life of Brutus. In Julius Caesar. By William Shakespeare. Dir. Ron Jenkins. Shakespeare Company, Ground Zero Theatre, and Hit and Myth Productions, at Vertigo Theatre, Calgary. 06 October 2017. Performance, designer Victoria Krawchuk creates an archetype of Portia’s role in the show through costuming. Portia’s more traditional Roman look, an elegant dress and bare feet, resonate the image of a mythological goddess; symbols of both femininity and strength. Encompassing these characteristics perfectly, Portia acknowledges them herself in 2.1, 292-302, (Shakespeare, William. “Julius Caesar.” The Norton Shakespeare: Essential Plays, The Sonnets, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Norton, 2016, pp. 1115-1180,) in which she states,

For many centuries clothing was used namely as a form of symbolising one’s ascribed class and social honour. A good example of this was evident in Feudal European times when sumptuary laws were created in order to regulate and specify

Depending on their job, wealth, and other factors, clothing people wore may have varied. But it was not uncommon for women to wear dresses(Some more high end than others ) or cotton print shirts and skirts. It was common to see a man in a bit more casual clothes rather than suits almost all around like previous decades.

Often times throughout history clothes have been very important in equating social or occupational status. For example, on a construction site you see the hierarchy of power by the color of the hats worn by the employees. Sadly,

What was the average life like in the ancient Roman empire? Living from 8 b.c. to 5 a.d. was very different from today. Although we may not know many things about their lifestyle, we also know a number of things of the average Roman’s life. Although the life of each individual differred vastly, life had similarities for everyone. The life of an average Roman citizen, was in its own, a life, with not much true arguable pleasures. However if taken right, could have been a life worth living.

Next, actors had to abide by the sumptuary laws even while performing on stage. Therefore the second a performer walked onto the stage the audience could tell their role in the play just by looking at the color of the costume. “The Material and Fabric also had a similar effect,” the audience could tell what class the character was in by the quality of their costume and also it gave important information on that individual’s role (Elizabethan Actors). “Queen Elizabeth I had to give actors special licenses” to wear upper class clothes to fit their character or position (Globe Theatre Costume). When nobility or upper class people would come to see a play they would say it was like a double fashion show. The fabric and color of a person’s garments represented different pieces of information about them and since clothing was part of society and law everyone knew what the color or material meant.

As per Tertullian's suggestions in (Apparel of the woman): The advice regarding dress and appearances to the women of Roman Christian communities was simplicity. He wanted women not to have the idea of jewelry, cosmetics, or clothing that wasn't designed to fit the normal day to day life. He believed that changing or modifying anything in your body or hair was the sign of disrespects to the gods, that their human creation. He believed if women committed actions of being too "beautiful" in a sense, would establish the sin of temptation. He states that vanity and evil are the driving forces behind the women's preferences and desires for cosmetics, jewelry and color dyed clothing. He has concluded that the fallen angels that had taken human wives in ancient biblical times started the lust for material goods and that it came from evil. Tertullian, in my opinion, didn't seem to

Cosmetics, first used in Ancient Rome for ritual purposes, were part of daily life for women, especially prostitutes and the wealthy. 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.

There was a very clear line in between the wealthy and the poor. Peasants during the era wore layers of belted tunics, cloaks, hats, and boots or clogs for warmth. These types of clothing would never be seen on the wealthier class of people. Many fashion trends from the renaissance time period carried on from time period to time period and are very prevalent still today.

During the ancient Roman time period, clothing was crucial in citizens’ status of either emperor, wealthy, middle class, poor, or slave. The emperor would have worn the toga trabea, which was, “formal differences in togas which denoted social rank” (Roman Dress). The emperor himself would wear a toga with a purple stripe to show his status. As emperor, he would also wear the latus clavus, tunica palmata, and the toga palmata. For wealthy citizens, “It was simply deemed improper for such a Roman citizen of

Even though you can’t believe everything you see in movies, you can pretty much trust them to accurately depict the Greek clothing. All but the very rich wore garments made of wool or linen; the very rich had their clothing made from more expensive things like silk or cotton. The garments themselves were also very simple. They were normally rectangular cut pieces of fabric with arm holes cinched at the waste. That was their usual everyday outfit. If men were to travel, they most likely took with them a cloak and wide rimmed hats. Women, again depending on class, wore many different types of jewelry including

In Ancient Rome men generally dressed in two garments, the tunic and the toga. The tunic consists of a short woolen undergarment with short sleeves. In contrast, to wear a long tunic with long sleeves was considered feminine and avoided by the society as a whole. The tunic worn by wealthy men was made from white wool or expensive linen, while the poor would wear any fabric they could get. Like the tunic, the toga was worn to signify one’s title. Women would wear a belt around the waist to hold the waist of the garment snug. A woman’s wardrobe was much like a man but with a long tunica. The more common tunic worn by women was similar to the Greek chiton. Married women were required