Roman Women’s Dress: Literary Sources, Terminology, and Historical Development

The book concerns female dress in Roman life and literature. The main focus is on female Roman dress as it may have been worn in daily life in Rome and in a social environment influenced by Roman culture in the time from the beginnings of the Republic until the end of the 2nd century AD. There is, however, a certain surplus as to its contents because many Latin texts also talk about mythical Greek dress and the largely fictional early Roman dress. Altogether, large parts of the history of Roman dress are only known to us through what scholars thought about it in Classical and Late Antiquity. For this reason, this book is not only about real female Roman dress, but also about the ancient pseudo-discourse on early female Roman dress, which has been taken too seriously by modern scholarship. This pseudo-discourse has been mixed together with real facts to produce an ahistorical fabric. It therefore appeared necessary to break with this old tradition and to take a completely new path. The detailed analysis of many texts on female Roman dress is the basis of this new handbook meant for philologists, historians, and archaeologists alike.

Frontmatter --; Preface --; Abbreviations --; Contents --; General Introduction --; Part A: Literary Sources --; Introduction to part A --; 1 The law of the Twelve Tables (tab. 10.3–4 Bruns) --; 2 Cato Origines F 113 P. – Female Dress in Public Discourse about Luxury in the Second Century BCE --; 3 Naevius Lycurgus F 18 R. – Greek female bacchantes and their costume --; 4 Plautus Epidicus – the dress catalogue --; 5 Plautus – the catalogue of the dress dealers in the Aulularia --; 6 Plautus Menaechmi – a long robe (palla) and a travesty --; 8 Lucilius --; 9 Varro – Menippean Satires and Logistorici --; 10 Cicero – the travesty of P. Clodius Pulcher --; 11 Lucretius – the invisible woman --; 12 Catullus c. 64 – Ariadne, dressed and yet naked --; 13 Imperial literature on dress – an overview --; Part B: Dress and Dress Terms --; Introduction to part B --; 1 tunica – Roman tunica and Greek chiton --; 2 pallium – the regular female cloak --; 3 palla – (1) precious cloak and (2) ‘peplos’ --; 4 stola/vestis longa – a dress of Roman matrons --; 5 praetexta – a dress of young Roman girls --; 6 toga – an attire of unfree prostitutes --; 7 paenula – ‘poncho’ --; 8 abolla – rough woollen cloak --; 9 vestes Melitenses, vestes Coae, cyclas, gausapum – fashion and the Empire --; 10 synthesis – a cosmopolitan dinner dress --; 11 colores – colour, dress style, and fashion --; 12 reticulum – hairnet --; 13 mitra – headscarf --; 14 anadema – headband --; 15 strophium I – hair circlet --; 16 vitta – a plaited headband and a matronal badge --; 17 palliolum – scarf --; 18 flammeum – bridal scarf --; 19 focale – neckerchief --; 20 cingillum, zona – belt --; 21 strophium II – cord --; 22 fascia pectoralis, capitium – the breast wrap, an erotic piece of underwear --; 23 amictorium and mamillare – ‘top’ and breast-band --; 24 subligar, subligaculum – ‘loin-cloth’ --; 25 fascia cruralis, fascia pedulis, impilia – ‘puttees,’ ‘socks,’ and felt inner shoes --; 26 calceus – the quintessential Roman shoe --; 27 soccus – the laced shoe --; 28 solea, sandalium – sandal --; 29 crepida – Greek Sandal --; 30 diabathra, Sicyonia, phaecasia, Gallica – shoes and fashion --; Part C: Ancient Theory --; Introduction to part C --; 1 Varro and the Early History of Female Roman Dress --; 2 Varro (VPR 306) – the toga: a Primeval Unisex Garment? --; Part D: Glosses --; Introduction to part D --; 1 *ricinium (triclinium) – the Law of the Twelve Tables --; 2 *arsineum, *galbeum, *rusceus – Cato Origines F 113 P. --; 3 *regilla, *patagiata, *indusiata – Plautus Epidicus I --; 4 *rica (tricae) – Plautus Epidicus II --; 5 *supparus – Plautus Epidicus III --; 6 *Capital; *caltula, *castula, *capitula; *calasis – five grammarians’ glosses --; 7 *stica – a modern dress gloss --; The Archaeological Evidence --; Epilogue --; Select Bibliography --; Illustration Credits --; General Index --; Index locorum --; Plates 1–29