Melvadius Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Der Spiegel is carrying this article about new research involving "Michael Tellenbach, director of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum (Rem) in the southwestern German city of Mannheim. Together with other European researchers, Tellenbach is at work unraveling the world of Roman fashion." Recent finds from a Roman fort in England have sparked re-examination of common notions about fabric production some 2,000 years ago. German experts believe new evidence indicates the Romans had a surprisingly advanced textile industry -- and possibly a luxury fashion addiction. When the prefect Flavius Cerialis hosted a banquet at Vindolanda, a Roman fort in what is now northern England, the aroma of grilled chicken, goose and venison, seasoned with pepper from India, filled the air. Plenty of beer was also on hand for the festivities. The only thing dampening the mood of the occupying forces was the wet weather, and the clammy fort's select guests were forced to bring their foul weather wear to the feast. On such occasions they favored a garment known as the paenula -- a wide, draping mantle made of wool, or sometimes leather or felt -- and wrapped a type of large shawl, called a laena, around their necks. ... continued Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DecimusCaesar Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Der Spiegel is carrying this article about new research involving "Michael Tellenbach, director of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum (Rem) in the southwestern German city of Mannheim. Together with other European researchers, Tellenbach is at work unraveling the world of Roman fashion." Recent finds from a Roman fort in England have sparked re-examination of common notions about fabric production some 2,000 years ago. German experts believe new evidence indicates the Romans had a surprisingly advanced textile industry -- and possibly a luxury fashion addiction. When the prefect Flavius Cerialis hosted a banquet at Vindolanda, a Roman fort in what is now northern England, the aroma of grilled chicken, goose and venison, seasoned with pepper from India, filled the air. Plenty of beer was also on hand for the festivities. The only thing dampening the mood of the occupying forces was the wet weather, and the clammy fort's select guests were forced to bring their foul weather wear to the feast. On such occasions they favored a garment known as the paenula -- a wide, draping mantle made of wool, or sometimes leather or felt -- and wrapped a type of large shawl, called a laena, around their necks. ... continued That's a fascinating and well written article. I've been reading about Roman fashion from a book by Alexandra Croom a while back, and I was amazed at how varied Roman clothes were in reality. What surprised me from that article was the claim that Roman soldiers didn't wear red cloaks, as it was a feminine colour. Oddly enough, most Roman military books, even those by experts such as Peter Connolly have the soldiers wearing red or scarlet coloured cloaks/clothing. Also wasn't it a taboo to wear a scarlet cloak in Rome during the Republican period, because of its military association? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 They didn't always get fashion right, though. Remember this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted August 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 In case anyone is interested in knowing a little more background on this research project it can be found on the DressID website here. There is not much specific detail of the recent findings on the website, although several publications were made in 2011, so presumably these will be appearing in print soon. Glancing through the list of 'participants' on the site I recognised several names as amongst the top people carrying out research into ancient textiles (as could have been expected) so the project has some very good credentials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 They didn't always get fashion right, though. Remember this? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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