Togas of the Late Empire

[Ludovicus]

Does anyone have an image of the toga in the 5th century C.E? How did it differ from earlier styles? When does the toga disappear from Roman history?

Edited August 20, 2007 by Ludovicus

[Nephele]

I don't have an image of a circa 5th century CE toga, but I think I can answer how it may have differed from earlier styles.

 

The style of the Roman toga changed over the centuries so that, by the 4th century C.E., the classical toga had pretty much been replaced by the toga contabulata, a shorter version of the classical toga that folded in a band across the wearer's chest. Examples of this toga can be seen in museum statues sculpted in the later centuries.

 

I'm not certain as to exactly when the toga disappeared from Roman history, but I believe the reason why the style gradually changed over time and eventually disappeared was due to the garment being too unwieldy for anything other than ceremonial use. And ancient Roman ceremony was becoming less a part of Roman life as the Middle Ages progressed -- particularly with the growing influence of the medieval Catholic Church.

 

-- Nephele

[caldrail]

I seem to remember that augustus insisted on senators wearing togas on offical duty, so even as early as the start of the principate romans were keen to dress casually.

[kurtedwr]

Here's an example of a 6th century toga: http://www.german-hosiery-museum.de/geschi...n/Bild02-07.htm . I'm sure it's Byzantine.

[Northern Neil]

I'm sure it's Byzantine.

 

...which of course, makes it Roman. From the mosaics at San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century:

 

[Gaius Paulinus Maximus]

I'm sure it's Byzantine.

 

...which of course, makes it Roman. From the mosaics at San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century:

 

 

If I'm not mistaken that's the Emperor Justinian with his famous General Belisarius on his left hand side, Which would then make it a Byzantine style toga wouldn't it ?

[James Stanhope]

RE:  5th-century CE Roman Togas: 

 

In the mosaic from San Vitale shown above (showing Justinian and his courtiers and Archbishop Maximin of Ravenna), Justinian and his courtiers are not wearing togas but the military-style "paludamentum" that was worn by late-Roman Imperial civil servants at public functions.  Also, the illustration linked-to by KurtEdwr does not depict a toga but the Greek-style "himation" recommended by St. Tertullian as more appropriate for Christians than the (then) pagan toga. 

 

For reliable depictions of 5th-century CE Roman togas, Google images of the Diptych of the Lampadii (c. 425 CE) and also Google images of the consul Areobindus (in Constantinople, later in the 5th century CE).  Both items show 5th-century CE Roman aristocrats dressed in the "toga contabulata," a heavily-embroidered toga that was very stiffly folded, like a wide belt, over the chest and left shoulder where this part of the toga was called the "balteus" (Latin for "belt"). 

 

After the death of Justinian I in 565 CE, the official use of the Roman-style toga declined along with the use of both Latin nomenclature and even the Latin language in official documents.   Imperial officials and Emperors continued to occasionally wear what looks like a vestigial toga, basically a stiff, narrow, gold-embroidered long cloth that was draped like the earlier Roman toga under the right arm, across the chest, and over the left shoulder.

[James Stanhope]

There was another, toga-like Roman ceremonial garment called the "trabea triumphalis," which, as depicted on diptychs from the 4th through 6th centuries CE, was draped toga-style and worn by Imperial consuls and, in Rome and Constantinople, possibly praetors, when presiding over games in the Roman Circus or Constantinopolitan Hippodrome.  The "trabea triumphalis" was heavily embroidered, dyed red or purple, and draped almost exactly like a toga.  The 5th-century CE grammarian Servius also describes a "toga trabea" which was dyed red or purple and was worn on various ceremonial occasions.  The "trabea triumphalis" might actually have been a more ornamented version of the 5th-century "toga contabulata," since "trabea" in Latin is related to the Latin word "trabs" which means a flat board or beam, and may refer to the flat, board-like draping of the "toga contabulata."

 

At any rate, the "trabea" was worn by Byzantine-Roman emperors from at least the 7th century CE onwards into the Middle Ages, and developed into what in Byzantine Greek was called the "loros" and can be seen on Byzantine-Roman coinage, diptychs, and mosaics from the 7th century CE onwards.