ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

, an ''angusticlavia'', ''angusticlavus'', or ''angustus clavus'' was a narrow-strip

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rom ...

(''tunica'') with two narrow vertical

Tyrian purple Tyrian purple ( grc, πορφύρα ''porphúra''; la, purpura), also known as Phoenician red, Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It is ...

stripes (''clavi''). The tunic was typically worn under the

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tr ...

with the right side stripe visible.

Usage and significance

The ''angusticlavia'' was the tunic associated with the rank and office of the ''eques'', or equestrians, one of the two highest legal orders in

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

Rome. Order members were military men, often

patricians The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

(''patrici''), who served as the cavalry units in war. During times of peace they frequently served as personal assistants to

Roman senators The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

. Equestrians wore the ''angusticlavia'' under the '' trabea'', a short toga of distinctive form and color. They also wore equestrian shoes ('' calcei''), and a gold ring (''

anulus aureus Annulus (or anulus) or annular indicates a ring- or donut-shaped area or structure. It may refer to: Human anatomy * '' Anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis'', spinal structure * Annulus of Zinn, a.k.a. annular tendon or ''anulus tendineus c ...

''). The tunic's stripes were about an inch wide, which contrasted with the senator's '' laticlavus'', which bore three-inch wide stripes. The ''angusticlavias purple-hued bands distinguished members of the equestrian order from other Roman dignitaries and from regular

citizens Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

. In ancient Rome, the color purple became increasingly linked to the higher classes, and eventually to the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

and the empire's magistrates. Thus, the ''angusticlavia'' served to indicate

social status Social status is the level of social value a person is considered to possess. More specifically, it refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference accorded to people, groups, and organizations in a society. S ...

above regular citizenry but below senators and magistrates. On certain occasions, particularly during times of political or social upheaval, senators in Rome chose to wear the equestrian tunic as a public display of distress. This practice was part of the semi-

egalitarian Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hu ...

legacy of the Republic. In 58 BCE, when the

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

Clodius was pushing

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the est ...

into exile, the senators took on the ''angusticlavia'' in public protest. In 53 BCE, during a period of civic violence, the

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

put aside their senatorial dress (the laticlavus) and summoned the

senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

in equestrian attire (the ''angusticlavia''). Over the course of ancient Roman history, the angusticlavia lost its symbolic meaning and class association. Wall paintings and other representations of the Roman past "show all types of men and boys wearing stripes of similar width – but there were later attempts to enforce or reintroduce the senatorial and equestrian classes."

Etymology

The Latin word ''angusticlavia'' is compounded of '' angustus'' ("narrow; small") and '' clavus'' ("nail; stud"). The word ''clavus,'' or "nail", refers to the stripes, for being as long as nails. The term ''angustus'', or "narrow", refers to these stripes or ornaments as being slimmer than on the senatorial laticlavus.

References

External links

{{Ancient Rome topics state=expanded Dresses Society of ancient Rome Roman-era clothing

Usage and significance

Etymology

See also

References

External links