05-03-2010, 05:47 PM
Hi John
Members of the Senatorial class were supposed to have wide stripes roughly a fingers length in width and those of the Equestrian class stripes roughly a fingers width in width. However it is clear these rules were not followed and if you look at the tunic Martin has just reconstructed based on an original, shown in another thread, clearly that individual was wearing a tunic with clavi far bigger than what they were entitled too. It is just human nature.
Roman sources say the Sagum was Gallic in origin so presumably the Romans would have called something like the Thorsberg cloak a Sagum. They adopted the design and It did become a popular military cloak and "putting on the Sagum' was seen as a term for going to war. It is nevertheless one of many rectangular cloaks. It was probably the weight, quality and colour or all three which distinguished it to the Romans from other cloaks at a particular time. The clothing changes all the time and sometimes new terminology comes in for old fashions. The 'Carracalla' for instance is really nothing more than a slightly longer Paenula. In the Greek speaking East, Roman garments are given Greek names just to confuse things further.
Graham.
Quote:I thought the purpose of the clavii was to show citizenship. It would seem then, it is a meaningless decoration, signifying nothing?
Members of the Senatorial class were supposed to have wide stripes roughly a fingers length in width and those of the Equestrian class stripes roughly a fingers width in width. However it is clear these rules were not followed and if you look at the tunic Martin has just reconstructed based on an original, shown in another thread, clearly that individual was wearing a tunic with clavi far bigger than what they were entitled too. It is just human nature.
Quote:I have thought of the sagum as a "war cloak". There is a saying about it floating around: "In sagum est"? Apparently, it too signifies nothing in particular, just another garment?
Roman sources say the Sagum was Gallic in origin so presumably the Romans would have called something like the Thorsberg cloak a Sagum. They adopted the design and It did become a popular military cloak and "putting on the Sagum' was seen as a term for going to war. It is nevertheless one of many rectangular cloaks. It was probably the weight, quality and colour or all three which distinguished it to the Romans from other cloaks at a particular time. The clothing changes all the time and sometimes new terminology comes in for old fashions. The 'Carracalla' for instance is really nothing more than a slightly longer Paenula. In the Greek speaking East, Roman garments are given Greek names just to confuse things further.
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
