Dress of Ancient Rome vs 1970's Italy
Dress communicates a lot of information about a culture. By just looking at what a group is wearing, or not wearing, one would know the temperature of the area, what fabrics are available, a person's status in the community, the aesthetic values of the society and much more. This is as true today as it was when man first started to adorn himself. To show this point, we will discuss dress in Ancient Rome and Italy in the 1970s. The Roman Empire was established in 27 BC. It was during this time that Rome ruled half of Europe, much of the Middle East, and the north of Africa. Rome is located on the Western border of Italy on the Mediterranean Sea. The hills upon which Rome lies are fertile and perfect for farming and raising cattle, pigs, and poultry. Farmers were able to grow wheat, rye, barley, and olives. The wooded areas around the city not only provided a natural defense from outside attacks, but yielded materials excellent for building. Although Rome did not manufacture any goods, they were able to build a road system, superior to any other at that time, that enabled them to import goods from other areas in the Empire. Mining provided the Empire with gold, iron, marble, and stone. These materials were
During the 70's fashion in Italy tries to be original but many people want to dress like others. With influence from designers such as Armani, Hugo Boss, Trussardi, men and women alike want to be beautiful and feel safe, with an outward appearance of perfection. The toga is a form of communication. Young Roman boys and non-political male figures wore the Virilis, an off-white toga. The Praetexta is also off-white, but has a purple border along the edge. The politicians and the upper class boys wore these togas as a symbol of coming of age. Wearing the Praetexta made it easier for the public to notice and acknowledge people of this status (www.crystalinks.com). The Pulla was worn when there is a death in a family or between friends. A Candida was a bleached white garment that the officials wore in their political offices. The Picta is a purple toga with gold embroidery worn on special occasions. According to Lester, "The peasantry were permitted one color only; officers, garments of two colors; commanders of clans, garments of three colors, and on up to the royal household, where seven colors were permissible" (p.70). The above excerpts were taken from "toga" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Expressions of Roles through Clothing The master of the house had an easy daily routine. The universal practice was for him "to sleep in his underclothes- a light sleeveless knee-length tunic and under that a loin cloth which functioned as under shorts" (Frank, Frost, Abbot, 1911, pg. 31). He did not have to worry about his personal hygiene at that time since he would go to the baths and visit a barber for a shave. used to build roads, aqueducts, amphitheaters, and temples. Women wore simple knee-length tunics under their stola, a full length, and high-waist garment fastened at the shoulder. The Stola was worn by women only if they were married and as a symbol of status.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1271
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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