Roman Clothing for Men

Tunic (Tunica) – A plain one-piece garment that sat just below the knees. It was sleeveless and belted at the waist. This could make it look like two separate pieces of clothing. 

 

The tunic was made of wool for working people (plebians) and slaves. Higher ranking citizens used more expensive material: white wool, quality linen and even silk. Dying a tunic different colours could show a citizen’s rank and title. 

 

Toga - A large, full length robe that was draped around the body. A lot of material was used to make a toga making it very heavy to wear. 

 

Toga’s were only allowed to be worn by citizens of Rome and all citizens were expected to wear them for public events. A toga, like a tunic depicted a man’s wealth and status, with wealthy and prominent citizens togas made from linen, cotton and silk. 

 

There were different togas worn by citizens and some were worn for specific events. 

 

Adult Male Citizens - A plain off-white toga made of wool, spun into cloth. 

 

Magistrates, Consuls and Senators – A toga with a purple border. 

 

Politicians – An artificially bleached-white toga. The white was expected to indicate that the politician could be trusted and therefore would stand out from the crowd. 

 

Emperors and victorious Generals – A purple toga with a gold embroidered stripe. Purple was the most expensive dye to create, therefore this showed the Emperors importance and rank. 

 

A black or dark toga would be worn at times when somebody had died. 

 

Boys usually wore the same garments as their fathers. 

 

Boys – A knee length tunic, belted at the waist. Boys from wealthy families may at times wear a toga with purple edging. This showed the wealth of the family with purple being the most expensive dye in Rome.