Toga

Marcus Aurelius wearing a toga.

The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps twenty feet (6 metres) in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was invariably made of wool,[1] and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the second century BC, the toga was a garment worn exclusively by men, and only Roman citizens were allowed to wear the toga. After this time, women were expected to wear the stola.

Contents

History

The toga was based on a dress robe used by a native people, the Etruscans who had lived in Italy since 1200 BC, although it usually is linked with the Romans. The toga was the dress clothing of the Romans; a thick woolen cloak worn over a loincloth or apron. It is believed to have been established around the time of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome. It was taken off indoors, or when hard at work in the fields, but it was considered the only decent attire out-of-doors. This is evident from the story of Cincinnatus: he was ploughing in his field when the messengers of the Senate came to tell him that he had been made dictator, and on seeing them he sent his wife to fetch his toga from the house so that they could be received appropriately.[2] While the truth of the story may be doubtful, it nevertheless expresses the Roman sentiment on the subject.

As time went on, dress styles changed. Romans adopted the shirt (tunica, or in Greek chiton) which the Greeks and Etruscans wore, made the toga more bulky, and wore it in a looser manner. The result was that it became useless for active pursuits, such as those of war. Thus, its place was taken by the handier sagum (woollen cloak) on all military occasions. In times of peace, too, the toga eventually was superseded by the laena, lacerna, paenula, and other forms of buttoned or closed cloaks. However, the toga did remain the court dress of the Empire which began c. 44 BC.[3]

Significance

A toga

The same process that removed the toga from everyday life gave it an increased importance as a ceremonial garment, as is often the case with clothing. The toga also can be used to signify different types of power. As early as the second century B.C., and probably even before, the toga (along with the calceus) was looked upon as the characteristic badge of Roman citizenship. It was denied to foreigners,[4] and even to banished Romans,[5] and it was worn by magistrates on all occasions as a badge of office. In fact, for a magistrate to appear in a Greek cloak (pallium) and sandals was considered by all as highly improper, if not criminal.[6] Augustus, for instance, was so much incensed at seeing a meeting of citizens without the toga, that, quoting Virgil's proud lines, "Romanos, rerum dominos, gentemque togatam" ("Romans, lords of the world, the toga-wearing race"), he gave orders to the aediles that in the future no one was to appear in the Forum or Circus without it.[7]

Because the toga was not worn by soldiers, it was regarded as a sign of peace. A civilian was sometimes called togatus, "toga-wearer", in contrast to sagum-wearing soldiers. Cicero's De Officiis contains the phrase cedant arma togae: literally, "let arms yield to the toga", meaning "may peace replace war", or "may military power yield to civilian power."

Varieties

The toga picta may have had an Etruscan origin, as in this portrayal of a cloaked figure identified as Vel Saties (from the Francois Tomb, Vulci. Circa 350 BC).

There were many kinds of togae, each used differently.

Modern usage

In several countries, the tradition of the toga party has become popular in recent decades, generally at colleges and universities, perhaps best illustrated in (if not inspired by) the film Animal House.

This practice trades on the exaggerated legend of Roman debauchery, and participants dress in "togas", which are usually makeshift garments fashioned from bed sheets. As such, these "togas" bear little resemblance to the Ancient Roman garment, being both flimsier and scantier.

See also

References

  1. ↑ William Smith, LLD; William Wayte; G. E. Marindin, ed (1890). "Toga". A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. London: John Murray. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0063&query=head%3D%. 
  2. ↑ Livius, Titus (ca. 1st century BCE). "Book III: The Decemvirate", chapter 26, Ab Urbe Condita.
  3. ↑ Spart. Sever. 1, 7. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  4. ↑ Suetonius Tranquillus, Gaius (121 CE). 15.2, The Life of Claudius. "In a case involving citizenship a fruitless dispute arose among the advocates as to whether the defendant ought to make his appearance in the toga or in a Greek mantle..."
  5. ↑ Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Gaius (ca. 105 CE). Line 3, epistle 11, book 4, Epistulae. "Idem cum Graeco pallio amictus intrasset—carent enim togae iure, quibus aqua et igni interdictum est..." ("Likewise he would have gone clothed with the Greek garb—for those who have been barred from fire and water are without the right of a toga...")
  6. ↑ Tullius Cicero, Marcus (63 BC). Pro Rabirio Perduellionis Reo ("For Rabirius on a Charge of Treason"). "Rabirius... was now accused of... wearing the dress of an Egyptian."
  7. ↑ Suetonius Aug. 40.5
  8. ↑ cf. Mart. viii. 28, 11. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  9. ↑ cf. Polybius, x. 4, 8. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  10. ↑ Liv. iv. 25, 13. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  11. ↑ Liv. xxiv. 7, 2. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  12. ↑ cf. Cic. post red. in Sen. 5, 12. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  13. ↑ Zonar. vii. 19. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  14. ↑ Liv. xxxiv. 7, 2. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  15. ↑ cf. Cic. Phil. ii. 4. 3, 110. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  16. ↑ Liv. xxvii. 8, 8; xxxiii. 42. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  17. ↑ post red. in Sen. 5, 12. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  18. ↑ cf. Liv. v. 41, 2. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  19. ↑ cf. Isid. Orig. xix. 24, 8. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
  20. ↑ ad Aen. vii. 612; cf. ad vii. 188. As cited by The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.

External links

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities by William Smith (1870).