Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 48

mourning clothes! It also was later used by Aristophanes to describe a
very coarse beard (GPS 23). Much later, when translated as "saccus" by
the Romans it still meant "sackcloth or cloth made from hair" (LPS 19).
It is possible that the sakkos/saccus was made with hair, but I believe that
the term was applied to a garment in the form of a cloth that covered
hair. It is possible that a sakkos was made from woven cloth or by netting
strands of wool or linen together. The peak was likely achieved by forming a cone out of the materials being used.
Strophium: a Greek woman's breast-band. Russell equates the
Greek strophium with a corset (Russell 1983, 485). The term is actually
Latin, and is derived from "strophos, ho," the Archaic/Early Greek word
for "a twisted band or cord," as it is used by Homer and later, Herodotus
(GPS 25, 26). In Classical Greece, the word "strophos, strophous" is
used for "a woman's girdle" (GPS 27). The word was adopted by the Romans, who dressed very similarly to the Greeks (Cantarella 2003, 26).
There are no references to the construction of the strophium, but I think
it was made by using a woven band, instead of cut and sewn cloth. As it
was common in Antiquity for weavers to make long and narrow bands
(for various uses), the strophium was most likely another item ancient
weavers made regularly.

CAMISIA

EMORALE

COLLOBIUM

BULLA

TOGA

SOLEA

LATIN TERMINOLOGY
There are many more Latin terms for garments than Greek ones. This
probably is due to the fact that more Roman documents have survived,
and because the Romans really loved to name things. There are over a
dozen different forms of togas. There are actually many more terms for
Roman garments than are covered in standard costume history texts,
some of which will be defined below, as well as more uses for common
individual terms. The terms that are important to this study are bulla,
camisia, emorale, fibula, flammeum, laena and paenula, palla, pallium,
paludamentum, pedulis, sagulum, solea, stola, strophium, taenia, toga,
tunicae, and umerale.
Bulla, -ae: a protective gold amulet worn by children. It was also
placed on animals. It was a Roman imitation of an amulet worn by
Etruscan kings. The word stems from the Latinium root vhal-, and the
Greek word phallos/phullon, for "swelling, or bubble" (Lewis 1879).
The term was used throughout the Republic and Empire.
Camisia, -ae: a linen shirt or gown worn under clothes. It has Gallic origins in northern Italy. The word eventually evolves into the Medieval chemise (Wikipedia 2006). It appears rarely used in Republican or
Imperial times, and must have come into common usage during the
Middle Ages. The construction of this garment was likely similar to that
of the Medieval chemise-two rectangles were sewn together at the sides
and part of the top, allowing a hole for the head.
Collobium, -ii: a short sleeveless under-tunic worn beneath the
toga. The garment probably evolved from the Greek kolobion. It is depicted often on statues of orators and is mentioned by Vergilius (LPS 4).
The construction of the collobium was probably the same as that of the
kolobion.
Emorale, -is: thigh coverings or another word for feminalia (from
the Latin "femur" for thighs) or bracae (Lewis 1879). Very late Roman,
and rarely used. Apparently a garment, or garments, similar to the Gallic
bracchae worn by the Roman military (LPS 6). This garment very likely
evolved into braies. There is not much extant information on the conTHEATRE
SUMMER

2006

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

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