Roman Clothing
Legionary Clothing
The basic Legionary would have worn a simple tunic (Tunica), with a cloth belt to synch up the waist. The tunic itself would have been made out of 100% wool. Depending on the unit or where the legion was, residing the color of the tunic would have varied. Our unit uses a brownish red color for the tunic. The cloth belt can be made out of any colored cloth, as long as it was either 100% wool or linen Sewing by hand is the preferred choice that way the tunic has more of a historical look to it. The tunic can be machine sewn, but the stitching must be on the inside where no one can see them. Most tunics did not have sleeves, but short sleeves would be allowed. We don’t know if military tunica had the common vertical stripe on each side of the body but civilian tunica certainly did to reflect the basic social status of the wearer.The next basic part of a Legionary’s clothing would be the neck scarf (focale). The scarf was primarily used to protect the soldier from getting his neck pinched or torn up by his armor. However, many soldiers continued to wear it even when they were not in armor. It would keep the neck warm in the wintertime, and could be used to catch the soldiers sweat during the summer time. These were generally made out of linen. The most common design was a triangle. It would have a very wide base so that the soldier could roll or fold the scarf and use the end to tie it off. Most of the time a scarf had a natural or tan color to it.
All Romans in public wore a modified toga called a paludamentum. It was a rectangular piece of cloth that draped about the body and was held to the shoulder by a clasp (fibulae). The paludamentum could be worn in a variety of ways, from draped around the body, to wrapped about the body and arm to attached to one or the other shoulder. Depending on the persons status the paludamentum could be either very basic or very ornate. For most enlisted soldiers they would have worn a very basic style made out of linen, and with a solid color to it. Purple was reserved for higher dignitaries. The The clasp (fibula) would be located near the persons shoulder and would either just hold the ends of the paludamentum together or would pin both the ends to the owner’s tunic. For women, the same paludamentum was used, but worn in such a way that the body of the cloth could be draped over the head for a covering.
The last big item that a Roman would have worn was a pair of sandal (caligae) or boots. For the design of the sandals please contact the unit for more details. Literally hundreds of different styles and patterns have been found. The military seemed to favor a sandal with hob nails to add more durability in the field. While these can be purchased, they are relatively easy to make and can be modified for more comfort and support.
During the winter, the Legionary would usually wear leggings, socks, and a wool winter cloak. All of these items were made out of wool. The leggings would be a simple design of a tube that would fit around your leg, and would have a wool strap coming off the top that would tie around a cord that was tied to your waist. The cloak was a large piece of wool, usually natural or brown in color, cut out like an oval with a round hole in the center. It would drape over the soldier like a poncho. We know that the soldiers would also sew hoods onto their cloak to keep their heads dry and warm. The socks were either cloth wrapped around the foot or looked liked two L shaped pieces of cloth sewn together. These were also made out of wool, and for the most part were not dyed.
Socks
Cloak Leggings
A loincloth is the last part of the clothing. The loincloth is the Roman version of underwear. Very comfortable and easy to make, the loincloth can be made several different ways. One of the most common styles is the hourglass shape with ties on the front and back.
Civilian Clothing
In LEGXXII PR members can choose their personae. Some may choose to be soldiers, either Legionary or Auxiliary while others can choose civilian impressions. Among the civilian trades, common ones include, senators and nobles, shop keepers – both men and women, children or even slaves.Roman Nobles
The typical clothing for a noblemen or senator would include a tunic – white with a broad or narrow black or dark red vertical stripe and a toga.A Roman could tell how important or wealthy a person was from their toga. Free Roman men wore the toga instead of a cloak. It was originally an Etruscan garment worn in earlier times by both men and women of all classes. The toga was made from white wool or white Egyptian linen. It was square or rectangular in shape and was worn draped around the body.
The toga was worn often during state occasions. Consuls and senators wore a toga edged with purple. Some emperors' togas were made entirely from either purple or black cloth. Black togas, though, were usually only worn in times of mourning.
Togas looked like a white sheet 9 yards long. They were arranged very carefully, in a stylish way. Togas fell out of style rather early. (The toga was inconvenient, and people felt the cold when they wore it.) To get anyone to wear them, even very early emperors had to legislate the wearing of togas by at least senators. Eventually, the emperors gave up.For shop keepers, men would wear a tunic, usually not white with a pair of sandals and a paludamentum cloak. Women would wear a variety of dresses depending on whether they were married or single and wore a similar paludamentum cloak in order to cover their head in public.
Roman Women
Women wore a tunica which was adapted from the Greek chiton. The tunica was usually knee-length. Over this the women wore a stola which was a full length from neck to ankle, high- waisted and fastened at the shoulders with clasps. The stola was usually either white, brown or grey, though some were brightly colored with vegetable dyes. A shawl, called a palla, was worn wrapped around the shoulders and arm, or could be draped over the head. Cloaks were worn to keep warm.Children all wore short tunics and sandals, again usually not white.
Slavery was unique in Roman society as it depended greatly on the job one had as a slave on what they wore. Some who were tutors for rich Roman nobles wore fine cloths similar to their masters. Others who served in the fields wore simple natural colored tunics and were barefoot or with cheap sandals. Still others who works in the hell of galley ships or the mines were often in mere rags.
