A Roman wife could be put on trial for adultery.
- The punishment, if convicted, was a divorce for the husband, loss of her dowry, being barred from wearing the garments of a matron (the stola, palla, & vitta), and having to wear a toga instead
- At some periods during the Empire, the punishment for a convicted adultress could include banishment and/or execution
Under Roman law, adultery and prostitution were essentially the same thing. An adulteress *was* a whore.
- A husband who did not prosecute his wife for adultery was guilty of pimping without a license and could be prosecuted for it.
- Prostitutes & pimps had to register with the Aediles (magistrates charged with the maintenance of public buildings, regulation of public festivals, and maintaining public order.
In practice, it is likely that whores/adulteresses were not *forced* to wear the toga on a daily basis, but it was one of the garments they were permitted to wear.
- It is also noted that it was *illegal* for them to wear the stola, but many did wear it when out in public to keep from being molested and bothered by men in public areas.
- Just as exemplary matrons were designated “stolata,” sexually licentious women were designated “togata” even if they never actually wore a toga.
- In all likelihood, they did wear the toga in the early days of Rome, but the actual practice of wearing the toga fell away leaving just the term. This parallels the way wives stopped wearing the stola but were still described as “stolata.”