Flavia Gemina Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 (edited) Just found this in Johnston's Private Life of the Romans...... Under the Empire the garments worn by women were dyed in various colors, and so, too, perhaps, the fancier articles worn by men, such as the lacerna and the synthesis ... One of my favourite sources for the Flavian period (late first century AD) is Martial. He often mentions the 'synthesis', a garment worn by men at relaxed dinner parties and during the Saturnalia. In all my research I have never seen an image from ancient times of one of these. I ended up describing it as a sort of long tunic or caftan, with an attached short cape or cloak of the same colour, hence the name 'synthesis' or 'putting together'. Can anyone out there correct or enlighten me further. Or best of all supply an image? Flavia Edited August 20, 2007 by Flavia Gemina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 (edited) Just found this in Johnston's Private Life of the Romans...... Under the Empire the garments worn by women were dyed in various colors, and so, too, perhaps, the fancier articles worn by men, such as the lacerna and the synthesis ... One of my favourite sources for the Flavian period (late first century AD) is Martial. He often mentions the 'synthesis', a garment worn by men at relaxed dinner parties and during the Saturnalia. In all my research I have never seen an image from ancient times of one of these. I ended up describing it as a sort of long tunic or caftan, with an attached short cape or cloak of the same colour, hence the name 'synthesis' or 'putting together'. Can anyone out there correct or enlighten me further. Or best of all supply an image? Flavia Hi Flavia. This is all I could come up with, from Johnston's again The synthesis was a dinner dress worn at table over the tunic by the ultrafashionable, and sometimes dignified by the special name of vestis canatoria, or cenatorium alone. It was not worn out of the house except during the Saturnalia, and was usually of some bright color. Its shape is unknown And this http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roma.../Synthesis.html Sorry there's no picture, I'll keep looking. Edited August 20, 2007 by Gaius Paulinus Maximus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted August 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Thanks, Gaius. I know those sources but they don't really give an idea, do they? I even emailed Kathleen Coleman at Harvard -- an expert on Martial and the Flavian period -- and she didn't know! What I would love to see is a fresco or encaustic painting of a synthesis on a male diner from the first or second century AD! Vale. Flavia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 The synthesis was a dinner dress worn at table over the tunic by the ultrafashionable, and sometimes dignified by the special name of vestis canatoria, or cenatorium alone. It was not worn out of the house except during the Saturnalia, and was usually of some bright color. Its shape is unknown It almost sounds like the same concept as a 'dinner jacket'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Salve, Flavia. If you've got Martial expert Professor Kathleen Coleman as a consultant, then I don't know how much additional information this article I found for you might provide, as the author, Professor Ethel Hampson Brewster of Swarthmore College, states that she used Martial as her chief source. But I'll e-mail it to you anyway. It was published in the Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association in 1918, and titled, "The Synthesis of the Romans". Briefly, Professor Brewster seems to be of the opinion that the synthesis consisted of a "set" of multicolored garments that were all worn at the same time -- a "composite costume" that was "a cross between the historic seven veils and Joseph's single garb of many colors." She theorized that the synthesis... ...doubtless had almost as many possibilities as a modern dress. The tunic foundation would be rather long and full like a woman's; it was apparently worn without a girdle at dinner, but it may have been customary to gird it, when appearing in public during the Saturnalia, for Suetonius makes special stock of the fact that Nero, to his disgrace, went out synthesinam indutus and ungirded at that... To the tunic was probably attached a small mantle, palliolum, usually of fine material, which could be arranged in such a way as to serve a utilitarian purpose when necessary, or merely to form a bit of conventional trimming. It might, for instance, hang in graceful folds in the rear from one shoulder, or from between the shoulders, as a bit of drapery... or it might be caught up on both shoulders as a cape, the ends of which could be fastened back when not in use... As for an illustration of the synthesis... Professor Brewster points to the ungirded tunics that appear in reliefs and pictures of triclinia, suggesting that "it may well be that some of those 'ungirded tunics' really represent syntheses." Anyway, check your e-mail for the article I'm sending you. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted August 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 (edited) Wow, Nephele, you're a star! I searched for ages and couldn't find an article like this. Anyway, I'm glad to say it tallies with what I assumed the synthesis would be: colourful long, loose tunic with cape or mantle thing attached. Just wish there was an image. She mentions a relief of P. Vitellius Successus in Daremberg and Saglio's Dictionnaire des antiquitis, IV, 1590, figure 6697. It shows a detail from a tombstone in the Vatican and is reproduced and described in toto in Altmann's Romische Grabaltare (Berlin, r905), figure 154, page 192, section 2~9. It represents a man reclining before a table that is set for a meal... Anybody have access to the Dictionnaire des antiquitis? Or to Altmann's Romische Grabaltare? Flavia Edited August 21, 2007 by Flavia Gemina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Wow, Nephele, you're a star! Aw, shucks. Anybody have access to the Dictionnaire des antiquitis? Or to Altmann's Romische Grabaltare? According to WorldCat, both books can be found in a number of university libraries' special collections -- and it appears that Altmann's book is in the Art & Architecture special collection at New York Public Library. I'll be at NYPL on Saturday, and have a look for you. Daremburg and Saglio's book I can probably access via a nearby university. If I can get permission to scan the illustrations, I'll send them to you. I'm curious to see this synthesis, too! -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 As promised, Flavia, I stopped in the New York Public Library today to get those synthesis illustrations for you. The first book -- Altmann's Romischen Grabaltare -- was in a special collection and they would only allow me to use my digital camera to photograph the plate. I'm afraid my picture may not be very clear. The second book -- volume IV of Daremberg and Saglio's Dictionnaire des Antiquit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 (edited) As promised, Flavia, I stopped in the New York Public Library today to get those synthesis illustrations for you... I don't know how helpful these might be, but here they are. (And that ivy-garlanded Nephele photo you privately requested was taken today as well, and is in my profile now. I got a few odd stares in the NY Public Library.) -- Nephele Many, many thanks for these and for the wonderful photo of you. It will inspire me! Flavia Edited August 26, 2007 by Flavia Gemina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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