Hallowed Antiquity

The Roman Empire inherited from the Republic a political arena in which every aspect of character was very closely scrutinized. A highly refined elite class with an extremely thorough education and a complex body of social norms, although deprived of a great deal of power in the empire, maintained a certain degree of expectation which they laid upon the figure of the emperor, an expectation to act, look, and even dress a certain way, aspects of which had evolved over the course of the 500 years of Republic. These characteristics had been so closely scrutinized by orators, philosophers, and rhetoricians, such as Cicero, that minute details of physical appearance from the folds of one's garments to the length and pace of one's stride were thought to be revealing of a person's true nature.

For the Romans, there was no garment more wholly "Roman" than the toga. Its development is a difficult story to tell, but it seems to have been very early used by both Romans and Etruscans, and in the case of the former, worn by both men and women of any status. However, like all clothing, the garment evolved and was differentiated both for utility and symbolic associations. Two such important alterations were known as the toga praetexta, denoted by a purple stripe along the edge of the garment and reserved for magistrates and priests (as well as young boys) and the toga purpurae, originally worn by kings and later reserved solely for emperors - purple was a color loaded with powerful associations and its use by those of non-imperial rank was highly restricted and regulated.


Etruscan toga praetexta ca. 100 BCE
The deep cultural roots of the toga made it a garment of importance. During the early empire, the garment was considered the "definitive garment of the Roman male," and its use was regulated under legislation (Stone, 17). Foreigners were forbidden from its use, and citizens were required to wear it in the Forum when conducting business. Indeed, improper folding or draping of the toga could have disastrous effects on the career of an aspiring politician. However, by the late empire, the toga's increasing bulk made it unwieldy, impractical, and hot to wear. Its function became increasingly ceremonial, but it endured well into the 4th century in such a function.


Imperial toga style ca. 80 CE
So why should such a garment, eventually entailing the use of yards of fabric, taking excessive amounts of time (and indeed the help of a slave) to put on, difficult to keep in place, hot and increasingly uncomfortable, have such staying power? Besides it roots in culture and tradition, the answer may be found, in part, in the late Republican ideology of body language.

There existed in the late Republic, a very powerful and very small group of elite ruling aristocrats. Due in part to close study in the art of rhetoric, this group had defined a certain way of living, acting, and moving which defined, for them, what is was to be Roman. Anthony Corbeill, in a close analysis of Cicero's rhetoric, demonstrates how this most famous of Roman orators often criticized the gait and gestures of upstart politicians and provincials from out of town, decrying their very movement as un-Roman because it demonstrated "disconnectedness from gravitas and constantia, from stability and composure, from truth and reason" (208). A true Roman should be slow and deliberate, but not too slow less he be thought ineffectual; he should be strong and confident.
It is not unreasonable to assume that this demand for delicate balance in movement derives to a certain extent from the limitations imposed by the toga. Although in the late Republic it had not quite reached the complexity and difficulty of the high Empire, it was still a difficult garment to maintain, prone to slippage and required (by custom) to be folded and worn just so. Thus, the orator, when walking to the Forum, must maintain a certain slow and deliberate pace to appear distinguished and to maintain the proper look of his attire. When delivering an address, his gestures must be restrained and sublime for the same reasons.
All these factors speak on a deeper level to personal security. Neither garment nor custom lent itself well to quick flight if confronted by danger. Thus, in their element, which was in the Forum, the politician or orator must appear to be absolutely secure, signified by their gait, their posture, their gestures, and their wardrobe. Even in their most hostile political environment, they must appear completely unassailable by any danger.