Roman Laws & Roman Clothing

Roman Law outlined distinct clothing for men and women - Clothing is either intended for the use of: Men, women, children, common to both sexes, or used by slaves:

    • Clothing specific to men is designed for the use by the head of the household: togas, male tunics, small mantles, etc.
    • Clothing specific to children are those items used for no other purpose: the toga praetexta, short tunics, Greek-style cloaks, and small mantles
    • Clothing specific to slaves are those items intended to cover slaves: coarse wool cloaks and tunics, traveling clothing, etc.
    • Clothing items common to both sexes included: traveling capes and mantles, socks,
    • Clothing specific to women are those items intended for the use of the mother of the family: the stola, mantles, female tunics, caps, belts, turbans intended to protect the head or hair rather than for ornament, etc.

Basic items of women’s clothing listed under Roman Law:

    • Tunica – The basic garment for both men and women. There were a number of different forms of tunicas worn by women over the course of the Roman period.
    • Stola – The stola is often seen (in period) as the symbol of female clothing, in the same way that the toga is the symbol of Roman male clothing. It was *only* worn by matronas (married women), and was worn as an outer tunic over the top of the normal tunica worn by all women. The stola was a symbol of the Roman matrona’s honor, respectability, and moral character, however it continued to be used as a symbol of female respectability and modesty much longer in Roman literature than it was actually worn in practice. The wearing of the stola was the subject of several laws over time, and the definition of “matrons” changed over time and according to the laws of the time. As with the tunic, the style and construction of the stola changed over time.
    • Palla – The basic outer covering for adult women of good reputation, it combined the functions of a veil, a cloak, and protection for her modesty and virtue. It is the female equivalent of the toga. It is made of a large rectangle of fabric.
    • Vittae – Wool “ribbons” or strips of fabric worn around the head and used to tie up the hair of a matron or priestess.
    • Toga – In the early days of the Kingdom of Rome both men and women wore the toga. After women changed to the palla, the toga continued to be worn by young girls (until they reached maturity or were married) and women who were not of “good moral character” – prostitutes and women who had been divorced on grounds of adultery.

Roman Law held that:

    • If anyone accosts a young girl (i.e. the daughter of a Roman citizen) who is dressed in the clothes of a slave, his offence will be seen as minor. [In other words – a young girl who is not wearing a toga]
    • Accosting a married woman who is wearing the clothing of a prostitute, instead of dressing as a respectable matron, is considered a less serious offense than accosting a young girl dressed as a slave. [In other words – a married woman not wearing a stola and palla]
    • If someone accosts a woman who is not dressed as a matron, or entices away her attendant in order to be alone with her, he is not liable for any injury.
        • Note – These laws were in effect during the eras when the “dress of the matron” (i.e. the stola) was restricted by law to the wives of Roman citizens only, and later to the wives of Senators only. So upper class matrons had more protection under the law than lower class women, but only as long as they *looked* respectable.

The stola/vestis longa was the iconic garment of Roman matrons from the 5th cent. BCE to the early 1st cent. CE:

    • Late Republic (c. 270 – 27 BCE) – worn by ALL respectable women married to Roman citizens
    • Early Empire (27 BCE – c.200 CE) it was falling out of fashion
    • Flavian Period (69-96 CE):
        • The stola was restricted by law to the wives of the 600 Roman Senators, making it an indicator of rank in the late 1st century CE.
        • Equestrian & Plebian wives could/did not wear stolae anymore
        • The frescoes in the Vesuvian cities (which stopped at 79 CE) show very few identifiable stolae
    • 2nd century CE:
        • Literary mentions of the stola also disappear by the beginning of the 2nd century CE
        • In the 2nd century CE high-ranking wives continue to be immortalized in statuary wearing the stola as a symbol of their virtue, even if she didn’t wear one in daily life (though it’s possible she might have worn one on very formal occasions).
        • Stolae are very rarely found in the visual arts after about 170 CE.
        • Engravings on tombs of Equestrian wives from the later 2nd & 3rd centuries sometimes refer to them as “Stolata“ (stola-wearers) even though ladies of this rank had long-since stopped wearing the stola
    • 3rd century CE:
        • The stola is used in Roman plays as an indicator of national identity and high class status, but it’s used generically for all Roman upperclass women, not just Senatorial wives
Who Wore the Stola, According to the Law