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Pompeiian women\'s muscle shirt?
#1
In the Latin textbook "Ecce Romani" edition 2, there is what must be a wall painting of a woman wearing what appears to be a muscle tshirt, that is, instead of fastening all along the shoulders and down the arm, just two pieces of fabric narrow from the front and go up and around the neck. I can't see any pins on the shoulders, and the neck hole looks too small to put the head through, so it is a puzzling garment. The illustration itself looks like a chalk drawing, but very detailed.<br>
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I have not seen this type of clothing in any representation of Roman women's tunica or stola. Maybe we're missing a lot as perhaps many wall paintings from Pompeii etc have never been published?<br>
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The book credits this as a photo from Elizabeth Lyding Will of Amherst College. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=richsc>Richsc</A> at: 7/20/03 6:41 am<br></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
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#2
I got a very nice reply from Dr. Will:<br>
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Dear Mr. Campbell,<br>
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The Ecce Romani illustration to which you refer was first published by me in my article, "Women in Pompeii," Archaeology 32:5 (1979), p. 34. In the caption, I say, "A well-born Pompeian woman drawn from the original wall painting in the House of Ariadne by Pierre Gusman (1862-1941), a French artist and art historian. Many Pompeian women were successful in business, including those from wealthy families and freedwomen." I haven't looked at Gusman's book in years, but I remember it as a rich repository of colored reproductions of Pompeian paintings, published before there was such a thing as color photography. The straps you mention can be seen also in a painting from the House of the Surgeon, on p. 40 of my article. I think I made that slide in the Naples Museum, but the picture is also in Picard's Roman Painting. I have dozens of pictures of Pompeian women in my slide collection, and I might mention another woman who is wearing a dress with the same kind of strap on one shoulder (the other shoulder is covered). That woman is in one of several portraits of women from the House of Caecilius Jucundus. See K. Schefold, Vergessenes Pompeji, pl. 180,3 and p. 138.<br>
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The oracle about Roman women's dress is, as you may know, Norma Goldman at Wayne State University. I can send you her address, if you don't have it.<br>
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I'm interested that you are working on amphoras. Since I specialize in Roman amphoras, I wonder what sources you are using.<br>
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With all best wishes,<br>
Elizabeth Lyding Will <p></p><i></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
Reply
#3
I will get the reprint from Archaeology shortly, and will post the image.<br>
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Note also that Norma Golman has written me (in another thread) about her upcoming books with Carol Van Driel Murray on Roman footware! <p></p><i></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
Reply


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