Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 51

around the edge. Praetexta comes from the verb "praetexto" meaning
"to fringe or border." It was worn Roman magistrates and freeborn children. Toga Pulla, a dark colored toga worn by mourners. Pulla comes
from "pulatus" meaning "to be clothed in black, or to be mourning."
Toga Pura, a naturally colored toga that was made from undyed wool.
Pura come from the Latin root for "clean, chaste, pure" and must refer
to the toga's untouched coloring.
The toga was also worn by prostitutes, who were denied the palla of
modest women. During Imperial times, the toga went out of fashion and
was worn only by clients when visiting their patrons (Lewis 1879).
Tunica, -ae: the basic undergarment worn by both sexes. The word
is probably Indo-European in origin and is related to the Semitic
"kuttoneth" for "coat" (Harper 2001). This was the Roman standard Tshaped garment, like the Medieval kirtle or the modern t-shirt. There
were many forms of tunics in different periods of Roman history. Tunica
Dalmatica was a wide-sleeved and large-bodied tunic that falls to the
ground. Dalmatica stems from "Dalmatae" meaning "Dalmatian, of the
eastern Adriatic coast." This must refer to the garment's origin. The tunic
later becomes an ecclesiastic garment in Byzantine Rome. The simplest,
and most likely, construction of this garment was to take two larger rectangles of cloth and sew them into a tube and then to attach two smaller
rectangles (folded in half) to form the sleeves. Tunica Manicata was a
long-sleeved knee-length tunic. Manicata literally means "furnished with
long sleeves", and comes from the Latin root for hand, "manus." The tunic manicata actually existed during the Republic, and is mentioned by
Cicero, but it was thought "effeminate" (LPS 33). Later, it became the everyday garment of Byzantine men. It was favored by the Christians for its
more modest cut. The construction of the tunica manicata was similar to
that of the dalmatica-the difference being the sleeves were narrower
and longer. Tunica Talaris was a long-sleeved ankle- or floor-length tunic. Talaris means "referring to the ankles" and comes from the Latin
word "talus" or " ankle-bone." The Tunica Talaris was mostly worn in
the Late Empire or Byzantine period, but is mentioned in the early Empire by Ovid and Vergilius. This was simply a longer version of the tunica
manicata.
Umerale, -is: a military cape or shoulder covering. While the word
is uncommon and the garment rarely depicted or mentioned, it is important because it will eventually evolve into the ecclesiastic "humeral veil,"
decorative garment that was shaped like a circle with two strips of cloth that
fell over the back and chest (Wikipedia 2006). The umerale was a small
semicircle of cloth that was fasted over both shoulders with a fibula.
In conclusion, this brief study demonstrates that most of the words
costumers use today to define ancient garments are derived from period
terms. In many cases, the contemporary terms are probably not the same
ones used by the Greeks and Romans-some seem to be derived from
ancient slang while others seem to be misapplied terminology. It is comforting, however, to confirm that the words we use originated in the same
cultures to which they are applied. ❖
Sara Morris graduated from the University of Oregon in June
with a degree in classical civilizations. When she grows up she
wants to be a classical textile archaeologist.
(Illustrations by Thomas Hope, adapted by N. Deborah Hazlett.)

THEATRE

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY
SUMMER

2006

TUNICA
DALMATICA
TOGA

UMERALE

TUNICA
MANICATA

EMORALE
PALLIUM

TUNICA
TALARIS

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006