Toga

Евсеенков А.С.

The toga was the official outer garment of a Roman citizen: a large semicircular or oval piece of wool worn over a tunic. It was not an everyday cloak,but a sign of citizenship,public life and social distinction. In brief: - the toga was worn by Roman citizens,especially men; - main types: toga virilis,praetexta,candida,pulla and picta; - women usually wore the stola and palla,not the toga.

Types of toga

The main types of toga differed by colour,decoration and social context: - toga virilis or toga pura — the plain white toga of an adult male citizen; - toga praetexta — a toga with a purple border,worn by magistrates,some priests and freeborn children; - toga candida — a specially whitened toga worn by a candidate for office; - toga pulla — a dark mourning toga; - toga picta — a purple or richly decorated toga associated with triumphators and some high officials.

Who wore the toga and when

The toga was a garment of civic status. It was worn mainly by free male Roman citizens at public ceremonies,in court,at elections,in the Senate,during magistracies and in religious duties. High-status female clothing is more often described through the stola and palla,while slaves and foreigners could not use the toga as a sign of Roman citizenship. In everyday life the toga was inconvenient: it required a large amount of cloth,careful draping and often the help of servants. For daily wear Romans more often used the tunic,cloaks and more practical wraps.

Reconstruction

The toga was shaped like a rounded trapeze and was truly huge in size,it was put on with the help of slaves. The width of the canvas reached up to 2 meters in the widest part,the length from 3 to 10 meters,depending on the type of toga. The classic toga was white or cream in color. To create a red or purple edging,a braid was often not sewn: threads of a different color were woven directly during the weaving process.

Since the toga was worn by Roman citizens,it is best suited for reconstructing the images of a senator and a priest. For togas,it is recommended to find the thinnest wool of plain weave,along the edges you should sew the fabric for a more neat look.

Related topics

Tunic,Augur,The Pontiff,Equites-Riders,Paenula,Sagum

Literature

P. Guiraud. Private and Public Life of the Romans. M. E. Sergeenko. Life in Ancient Rome. Judith Lynn Sebesta,Larissa Bonfante (eds.). The World of Roman Costume. Shelley Stone. The Toga: From National to Ceremonial Costume.

Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions. Reenactment