- A minimal loincloth worn in ancient Greece and Rome.
- Used by athletes, gladiators, actors, and even some Roman slaves.
- Leather versions were beneficial for women during menstruation in some cases.
The subligaculum was an undergarment used in ancient Greece and Rome. This word is derived from the Latin subligo, “to bind under,” and the diminutive suffix -culum, “small.” A subligaculum was a minimalist cover-up reduced to a narrow strip of fabric. This loincloth was most commonly worn by the ancient Romans. However, it is believed that its use in Roman society originated from the Etruscan people.
It was kind of a simple panty wrapped around the thighs and tied at the waist.
How Did the Romans Use the Subligaculum?
Extremely short underwear like briefs were called several things in ancient Roman culture, including subligar, subligatus, and licium. In the same way that modern underwear is worn between the legs and secured at the hips, ancient Romans wore underwear that resembled a loincloth beneath their togas (for men) and stolas (for women).
However, anyone, male or female, could wear this undergarment. Women wore a strophium (a breast wrap or bra, also known as fascia pectoralis) along with their subligaculum. On the other hand, men wore them under their tunics. In most cases, this loincloth was the only garment worn under the tunic.
Greek athletes originally wore it in competition but later abandoned the clothes and began to perform completely naked.
Nonetheless, the trend of wearing a subligaculum did not catch on and instead was limited to niche social groups or activities like gymnastics, gladiator fights, and Latin theater. It differed from other loincloths, which were just a cloth fastened with a belt, by its sewn trouser leg.
On the arena where they competed, it was a component of the uniform worn by the gladiators. The subligaculum was secured around the waist of the Retiarus with a baldric, a wide belt used to carry weapons. Retiarus was a type of gladiator famous for his fights with Murmillo.
Subligaculum in Ancient Greece
A similar loincloth was used in ancient Greece, where it was known as diazoma or perisoma. It was a kind of short used in antiquity to cover or protect the sexual parts of athletes during sports competitions. Greek athletes originally wore this garment in competition but later abandoned all clothes and began to perform completely naked.
The Romans and other non-Greek nations, on the other hand, have always used the subligar in their gymnastic exercises. Additionally, people who stomped on grapes to make wine and actors on stage wore it. Others included the Roman popa (the person who killed the victim) in sacrifices and the Roman slaves. According to Strabo, slaves from India wore this loincloth.
The Museum of London displays the only garment of this kind that has survived to the present day.
How to Wear a Subligaculum
Here’s how the ancient Greeks and Romans tied their subligaculum:
- They began by wrapping the strings around their waists, allowing the longer end to hang down at the back to cover their rears.
- After that, they brought that longer part down between their legs and pulled it up behind the knot they tied in front.
- Finally, they arranged it over the tied sections.
The icons of the subligaculum often depict a piece of linen. Due to its nature, the archaeological digs have turned up no evidence of this substance. However, artifacts and historical records reveal that leather versions existed, especially for aquatic activities.
During menstruation, women may have found the leather subligaculum (crafted from waterproof goatskin) very beneficial, especially if woolen cloths were applied to the inside to collect blood.
Subligaculum in Christianity
Jesus is often shown with a colobium (long tunic) rather than a subligaculum in the earliest images of Christ on the cross. Roman custom called for the nude crucifixion of criminals. As the Church struggled to regulate such artistic production in the 16th century, picture theologians like Johannes Molanus (1533–1585) sounded the alarm about potential abuses when it came to depicting holy figures like Jesus naked.
The theological interpretation of the Tridentine Mass was to categorically rule out absolute nudity when the twenty-fifth session of the Council of Trent in 1563 ordered that figurations should respect decency.
Modesty re-paintings may be traced back to the banning of nudity, a tenet of rigorist religion. The works of the Italian painter and sculptor Daniele da Volterra are the best-known examples of this initiative. This involved the transition from a subligaculum to a perizoma, which was initially opaque but eventually became transparent.