Was there a concept of fashion in pre-Christian times? Was there a fashion for clothes before? Look at the statues of emperors and gods that have been preserved in the Vatican museums - this is how the ancient Romans looked and dressed. Their clothes were distinguished by sophistication of draperies and simplicity of silhouette. Who invented these outfits? Did anyone make clothes in terms of social status and material position? Were there differences in the attire of noble persons and commoners? Or maybe the ancients were engaged only in wars and philosophy and wore only simple cloths of raw 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 sunk into oblivion, and we continue to be interested in what the clothes of the ancient Romans were, how their life was arranged, how they conducted their affairs and what their leisure activities were. Over the years, a lot has been forgotten and erased from the memory of mankind, however, the preserved works of philosophers, poets, mythology, murals, some utilitarian and ritual utensils, female and male jewelry, weapons, architectural and art monuments allow us to draw certain conclusions and make assumptions about life on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas - in Asia Minor, on the Apennines and the Balkans.
Did fashion exist in antiquity?
Fashion, of course, was then. She did not bypass both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The clothes of the Romans and Greeks were by no means just a means of warming frozen bodies. She responded more to aesthetic needs than to physical ones.
The ancient Romans, whose clothing was largely borrowed from the Greeks, brought to it a share of asceticism and practicality. The Romans began to actively decorate their outfits with jewelry only at the end of the empire, when debauchery and other carnal hobbies prevailed over the minds and patriarchal traditions of the fathers.
What is the clothing of the ancient Romans and Greeks? Grade 2 of high school introduced us to her as a child. These are tunics and togas that freely fit the body without restricting movements. Ancient amphoras for wine and olive oil, found during excavations, preserved drawings with scenes on everyday and battle themes. Clay and metal were 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 were clothes fabrics made of?
What raw materials were used in weaving? With a high degree of probability, we can say that this is cotton, linen and wool. The Romans did not know silk, up to the 1st century BC. Then fabric 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 fabric appeared in Rome - from mixed fibers of silk with cotton, and also from silk with linen. Silk yarn began to be brought from China, and the Roman weavers began to make matter from it. Perhaps, in addition to the above, fabrics for clothes were made from other fibers, such as hemp, palm trees, nettles, etc. The threads from these plants are not very durable and beautiful in the product. Researchers discovered beaver wool, camel, and fiber asbestos threads in fabrics that the ancient Romans made. Clothing with asbestos fibers embedded in its fabric drapes in a special way and sparkles very beautifully in the sun.
Features of attitudes towards clothing among the soldiers of ancient victorious armies
From Egypt came the fashion for leather goods. Egyptian leathers were distinguished by subtlety of manufacture and durability of paint. Roman warriors wore leather armor, and the Greeks fought naked. Historians do not fully agree on this subject. The frescoes depicting the battles show warriors without clothes, however, during excavations, bronze armor dating from the same period was found.
The Romans did not wear a trouser, considering them barbaric clothes, however, during campaigns deep into Europe, where the weather conditions were harsher than on the Apennines, Roman soldiers were forced to master wearing trousers. There was memory of this in the form of a drawing on the column of Trajan - on it are Roman legionnaires in narrow bridges slightly below their knees.
The name of the clothing of the ancient Romans is written in the writings of Virgil, Seneca, Cicero and others. In those days, fashion was not as changeable and fleeting as it is now. Since Rome was greatly influenced by Etruscan and ancient Greek civilizations, the way of life and clothing of the ancient Romans and Greeks are very similar.
Toga
Toga is one of non-stitched clothing. 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. They wrapped themselves in toga during the day, using it as outerwear, and also at night, spreading it on the bed like a sheet, or covered themselves with toga like a coverlet.
Until the 4th century BC, toga was an accessory of both male and female wardrobe. Subsequently - only male. Non-citizens did not have the right to wear a toga. It should be noted that to put on this flap an assistant was required, in those days a slave. Men's clothing of the ancient Romans of the aristocratic class did not differ in aspiration for asceticism. Such a mentality is closer to Greek civilization. The Romans loved luxury and carnal pleasures. The togens of the Roman patricians were up to two meters wide, and up to 6 in length. A slave who knew how to arrange folds especially nicely was expensive. According to the rules, it was required that the right shoulder and part of the chest remain open, and on the left side was a strip of ornament.
The emperor wore purple toga. Besides him, the triumphant commander also had the right to put on this color. Sometimes toga was decorated with palm branches embroidered on it. The striped toga with a purple rim was a part of the wardrobe of the augurs and sallies, that is, the clergy or the priestly class.
Black toga was considered mourning and was worn as a symbol of sorrow for a deceased relative.
Tunic
I must say that women's clothing of the ancient Romans was not distinguished by the complexity of the cut. She was as concise as man's.
Difficult to wear and requiring a large amount of expensive thin fabric, the toga in the first centuries of our era completely went out of fashion, and the tunic survived 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 tunics up to their ankles, sometimes with long sleeves. Wealthy aristocrats wore several transparent tunics, one on top of the other. One of them could be from pleated fabric.
Accessories
As accessories, belts embroidered with stones, coins or mother of pearl were used. A large necklace was put on the neck, laying on the shoulders, back and chest like a yoke. Unlike Greek women, the Romans paid little attention to the decorative decoration of the fabric with embroidery. But they wore jewelry no less. In addition to necklaces and belts, they adorned themselves with bracelets, rings and earrings. Gold was the measure of wealth and social standing.
Underwear
Often, before putting on a tunic, the Romans wrapped their breasts and hips in 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 clothes were made of wool, linen and cotton and did not differ in cut, wore several layers of woolen tunics in the cold season.
Chiton
It is strange that the Romans did not adopt the custom of wearing tunics from the Greeks . This is a very comfortable robe that was not sewn, but connected on the shoulders with buckles-brooches. For a long time it was believed that the Greeks wore only white clothes. This is not true. White color was indeed one of my favorite, but bleaching the fabrics was time consuming and lengthy. For this reason, white tunics belonged to the category of holiday.
On ordinary days, the Greeks wore colorful and very bright outfits. Minerals, plants, and marine mollusks were used as dyes. The latter served as a source for obtaining purple pigment. Greeks before the Romans began to wear silk, although it was very expensive, since it was brought from the East. Purple silk tunics were worn only by very wealthy people.
Despite the fact that the clothes were not sewn together, but only chipped, the bottom of the tunic should not have been shaggy. This was a sign of mourning or material need, which was considered a disgrace. The bottom edge was bent and neatly fixed so that the threads did not stick out. Although slaves did this work, Greek women were taught all kinds of needlework from childhood.
Even the richest and most noble Greeks knew how to sew, embroider with a stitch and a cross, cook food and care for households.
Outerwear
Walking outside in one tunic was indecent. From above always put on a raincoat. A man’s cloak - hematium or chlamys was not as smart as a woman’s cloak and was made of coarser fabric. Feminine - peplos or hlyna - is always a work of art. Since the Hellenes rarely left the borders of their home, the peplos were trimmed with the most beautiful beads and braid, carefully thought out drapery and embroidery. To make heavier and more stable, in certain places weights were sewn into the fabric - coins or pebbles - and decorated with small brushes.
The hairdresser's art of antiquity
Greece was famous for its hairdressing. Hairstyles were done by professionals. They beautifully cut their hair, intricately braided and styled. Moreover, the Greeks dyed their hair. Courtesans brightened, and family women, on the contrary, dyed their hair in darker shades. The hairstyle was a constituent element of the whole image and harmoniously fit into the ensemble. In Greece, the beginning of the fashion for wigs. They were made of natural hair, and women of fashion had several different wigs.
Education as the main driving force of society
The Romans attached great importance to education. Upon reaching the age of seven, children were assigned to schools. In some of them, combined training for both sexes was practiced. Girls 'education was considered no less important than boys' education. It was from the Roman tradition that a three-stage education system came - primary, secondary and higher. At 18, young men were called up for military service.
Wealthy families emphasized additional home schooling, for this purpose educated slaves were acquired as teachers, mainly from Greece. Slaves were also sent to receive the education needed by their masters. They often became managers of the possessions of their masters, and did official work in state bureaucratic institutions.
Subsequently, freed slaves took up managerial posts in Rome, displacing the titular citizens from their legal posts. The advantages of slaves over the Romans were expressed in the fact that, having a good education, they did not shy away from any work, and gradually began to understand the management system and legislation much better than the native Roman citizens.
This skew of the democratic structure of society and determined the fate of the Empire.