The ''pallium'' was a Roman

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, which serves the same purpose as an overcoat and protects the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. People in many d ...

. It was similar in form to the '' palla'', which had been worn by respectable Roman women since the mid-Republican era. It was a rectangular length of cloth, as was the ''

himation A himation ( , ) was a type of clothing, a mantle (clothing), mantle or Wrap (clothing), wrap worn by ancient Greek men and women from the Archaic Greece, Archaic period through the Hellenistic period ( BC). It was usually worn over a Chiton (gar ...

'' in ancient Greece. It was usually made from

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

, but for the higher classes it could be made of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

with the use of gold threads and embroideries. The garment varied in fineness, colour and ornament. It could be white,

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

red (''purpurea'' from

murex ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1 ...

), black, yellow, blue, pale green, etc. The ''pallium'' was originally considered to be exclusively Greek and despised by Romans, but was favoured by ordinary people, philosophers, and

pedagogues Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

thought it the most appropriate garment for

philosophers Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on ...

and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. French article about ''De Pallio''
It is not to be confused with the ''

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

'' used by Catholic clergy, which is related to the ''

omophorion In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' (, meaning " omethingborne on the shoulders"; Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual ...

''.

References

Bibliography

, ''De Pallio'' *

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

, ''De Genere Vestium'' *Judith Lynn Sebesta, ''The World of Roman Costume'', Madison WI, University of Wisconsin Press, 1994 * Gaston Boissier, ''Le traité du manteau de Tertullien'' in "la Revue des Deux Mondes", 94/5, 1889, pp. 50–78 *Radicke, Jan:
Roman Women's Dress
', Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022.

External links

*

Roman-era clothing Byzantine clothing Robes and cloaks {{italic title

See also

References

Bibliography

External links