You've been getting Roman togas wrong your whole life - here's why

As historian Professor Ursula Rothe explains on the HistoryExtra podcast, many of our common assumptions about the toga are far removed from the historical reality of the Roman Empire: “There is quite a bit of misunderstanding about what the toga was. Rather than an everyday outfit, it was a carefully regulated status symbol, a garment loaded with political and social significance.”

Who wore a toga?

Despite countless portrayals of Romans swanning around in their togas, the reality is that very few people actually wore them.

“They were only worn by men,” Rothe notes. There were also other caveats; togas could only be worn by those with Roman citizenship, by law. This strict rule meant that the toga was reserved for the elite, making it an indicator of a Roman man’s place in society.

• Read more | What did they wear in ancient Rome?

Even among those who had the right to wear one, togas were far from practical everyday clothing. “If you saw men wearing a toga on the street, it meant they were either politicians, judges, or visiting their wealthy patron for a handout,” Rothe explains. In fact, most of the time, Roman citizens of all classes simply wore tunics.

Not all togas were white – or comfortable

One of the most persistent misconceptions about the Roman toga is its colour. People assume they were plain and white, hence the common use of the bedsheet in fancy dress.

While natural wool was the standard for most, togas did come in variations depending on rank and occasion. “Triumphant generals wore a special type of toga… sometimes with a purple stripe for people who were particularly important, like priests and magistrates,” Rothe explains. The deeper the purple, the more exclusive it became – eventually being reserved solely for emperors.

As well as being colourful, togas could also be incredibly impracticable. In reality, they were enormous garments.

“To get it around your body, draping down the front and around the back, it had to be four, five, six metres long. That’s a lot of material,” says Rothe. “We know from the satirists like Juvenal and Martial that it was no mean feat trying to get across the dirty streets of Rome with your toga intact. It was expensive, heavy, and not very practical.”

• Read more | Did ancient Roman togas have pockets?

So, given its impracticality, why did anyone bother wearing it?

As Rothe describes, much like a tailored suit today, the toga signified wealth, status, and civic duty. “I often talk about the toga in similar terms to a suit today,” says Rothe. “Some people would have had several, but others just had one stored away, pulled out only for weddings, funerals, court appearances, or religious festivals.”

For those keen to imagine the true reality of Roman life, perhaps the best way to correct our misconceptions about the toga is simple: next time you picture an ancient Roman, forget the grand white robe – they were probably just wearing a tunic.

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