Ancient Rome FAQs
Augustus Burnett
Writing
Family
A big difference between families now and then was back then the father chose whether or not to take the child as his own. Also adoption was very different back then then here in the US for example, adoption usually was to provide a heir for a family that had no son to carry on the family name or to receive the families property. Free born boys wore the toga protexta and an amulet called a bulla until reached an age and maturity suitable to the Romans. Once that age and maturity was reached there they were proclaimed a man. Many families chose the festival of the liberalia on March 17 as the day for their sons to get claimed a man.
Almost all Roman girls were named after their father and the sisters all shared the same name. Also most roman men had three names Praenomen, nomen, and a cognomen. the three names were used to place a male to a certain family branch or group and also to tell different males of the family from each other.
Men's and Boy's Clothing
Men and boys clothing was made from wool, fiber, silk, and cotton. A toga was a common dress wear for a roman man. Different togas were worn for different events based on color. Also money class and budget could affect the length of the toga. For example, a shorter toga may be worn by a peasant or poorer person to save money while a richer person looking to impress others may buy a longer toga. Yet some men during emperor Justinian’s rule some men decided to rebel against him through their fashion choices. They wore tunics with outrageously wide, long sleeves tightly fastened at the wrists. When it came to social class Their were hints from literature that different cloaks represented a certain social class. But the piece of writing did not describe the cloak.
As for jewelry men were only authorized one piece of jewelry, a signet ring that was used to make an impression in sealing wax in order to authorize documents. Originally made of iron, these signet rings later came to be made of gold. These were personal items that were not really meant as jewelry but more as a verification tool and a form of signature.
Women's and Girl's Clothing
Citations
Tortora, Phyllis. "Toga." Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 329-331. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"The Dress of Roman Women." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Ed. Edward I. Bleiberg, et al. Vol. 2: Ancient Greece and Rome 1200 B.C.E.-476 C.E. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 106-109. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Tortora, Phyllis. "Toga." Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 329-331. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
WEISS, JESSICA. "Fathering and Fatherhood." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 348-353. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Family." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. 153-155. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Names, Roman System of." Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Carroll Moulton. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. 66-67. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
"Writing and Language." World Eras. Ed. John T. Kirby. Vol. 3: Roman Republic and Empire, 264 B.C.E.- 476 C.E. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 170-172. World History in Context. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.