The basics of dressing an empire
Tunica

 The tunica was the basic
garment of the ancient world.
 It is the base for any Roman
costume, male or female.
 Its construction is basically two
rectangles sewn together, with
holes for the arms and head.
 Made of wool or linen
 A note on Clavi: two basic
widths, Equestrian and
Senatorial.
 Equestrian: 1 ½” wide
 Senatorial: 3” wide
 White tunic w/ purple clavi is
reserved for senators.
 Roman riding pants.
Bracae

 Made of wool or leather
 Could be either knee
length or full length (see
Thorsburg trousers)
 Originally considered effeminate,
but became more popular as the
Romans moved into colder
climates.
 Fit loosely around the waist with
a draw string
 Close fitting around the knees
and lower legs.
Fascia Ventralis

 Waist sash,
originally worn by
the Roman military.
 Became more
common as a way to
blouse the tunica.
 Made of either wool
or linen
Udones

 Wool socks
 Lots of argument about
knitting vs. nålbinding.
 Best option is to use a sewn
sock as seen in the picture.
 This would have been
sewn wool.
 Roughly in the shape of a
boot.
Cloaks

 Paenula (pictured)
 Half circle cloak with a hood.
 Sagum
 Essentially a long rectangular
piece of wool that can double as a
blanket (traditionally associated
with the military
 Paludementum
 An officers cloak, worn
suspended from the left shoulder
and draped around the left arm.
 More fashion than form.
 Cloaks would have been made of
wool, or leather is a few cases.
Subligaculum

 Men’s underwear…
The Toga

 Extremely formal
garment
 Could be 5-15 yards of
undyed white wool
 Traditionally around 6
yards
 Draped around the body
without using any pins
 Held in place by
immobilizing the left
arm.
Subarmalis

 Padded garment worn
under armor.
 Quality and style was
determined by wealth
and rank
 Could be fabric or leather
 Pterugies are
predominantly for
decoration, some
protection offered from
layered linen.
Carbatina
Shoes

Calcei
Caligae
Ladies Under Garments

 Several samples similar to a
bikini bottom were found in
a well in London. They were
made of leather.
 According to several male
authors, women wore breast
bands made of fabric.
Women’s Under Tunic

 Similar to a man’s tunic, except
that it is longer.
 Would be made of wool, linen or
silk, or blend of silk woven into
linen or cotton
 Dyed in any available natural color
Stola

 Outer dress worn over
under tunic.
 Wealth of the wearer was
demonstrated by the type
of material the garment was
made out of.
 Would be made of wool,
linen or silk, or blend or silk
woven into linen or cotton
 Dyed in any available
natural color
Palla

 Long shawl like
garment, worn to cover
the head and shoulders.
 Could also be worn as a
veil
 Would be made of wool,
linen or silk, or blend or
silk woven into linen or
cotton
 Dyed in any available
natural color
Peplos

 Greek style of dress popular
throughout the empire
 Gathered below the bust line
using a cord or fabric tie.
 Would be made of wool, linen
or silk, or blend of silk woven
into linen or cotton
 Dyed in any available natural
color
Ladies Shoes

Jewelry

 Men and women wore
necklaces, bracelets and
torques. Men of rank often
possessed signet rings.
 Romans were fond of semiprecious stones. Pearls were
hugely popular.
 Native Etruscans and
Egyptians were highly skilled
in gold workers.
Dying methods and
materials

 The most common fabric was
wool followed by linen and
cotton. Silk was a luxury fabric
imported from Serica (China).
 A variety of natural dyes were
used such as lichen, flowers,
tree bark and certain minerals.
 Dyes were set using tannic
acid, salt and uric acid found
in… urine! This ingredient
was also a key in bleaching
and cleaning fabric.
Life expectancy of a
garment

 The life of a garment would largely depend on the
type of wear on the garment and what the garment
was made of.
 A soldiers wool tunic might wear faster than a farmers
wool tunic because of the wear the armor places on the
material
 But a wool tunic would probably outlive a linen tunic
as well as hold dyes better than linen.