Tag: ancient clothing

Strophium (Strophion): Ancient Bra of Romans and Greeks
- Bras in ancient Rome and Greece were called strophium or strophion.
- The strophium provided breast support to prevent sagging.
- Mosaics depict Roman sportswomen wearing strophium bras and subligaculum panties.
Women in ancient Rome and Greece wore bras, known as strophium (Latin) or strophion (Greek). One of Martial’s epigrams suggests that leather was the typical material for the strophium; however, some golden examples studded with jewels are also mentioned.
Mamillare, Fascia Mamilla (“Breast Ties”), Fascia Pectoralis (“Chest Girdle”), and Mitra are all the various names for this bra in Rome. The ancient Greeks also used the terms tainia, tainidion, apodesmos, stethodesmos, mastodesmos, and mastodeton to refer to their bras, which looked exactly like the Roman bra.
How Was Strophium Used?
Ancient Roman sportswoman with fascia pectoralis (top) and subligaculum (bottom) on a mosaic in the Villa Romana del Casale.
The strophium was one of the earliest precursors of bra in recorded history. It was worn either beneath a long or short tunic, depending on the temperature, just like people do in modern times.
It is unknown if the strophium was a common outfit for Roman women or if certain types of women or special occasions only wore it.
The strophium was part of the ancient Roman bikini worn by ancient athletes during their training and competition, which also included the iconic subligaculum. Greek athletes originally wore this garment in competition but later abandoned all clothes and began to perform completely naked.
Since the use of the subligaculum in Roman society is believed to have originated with the Etruscan people, it is possible that the Romans sampled this ancient bra from the same civilization.
In his Annals, Tacitus tells the tale of a courageous lady who hanged herself with her own breast band or strophium. It happened under Nero’s reign, during the Conspiracy of Piso treason trials. She was unwilling to give in to torture and expose the identities of the conspirators. When compared to the other conspirators, Tacitus thought she was brave.
Function of the Strophium
A maid gives the woman a type of strophium which could be worn to help support the breasts. Classical attire, from an 1893 book.
Its primary function was to prevent sagging by providing support and containment for women’s breasts. Large breasts were viewed as either humorous or a sign of age or unattractiveness in Roman culture. Both girls and women wore restrictive breast bands to avoid this. Styles varied according to the intensity of the exercise. Even some graphic Roman art depicts prostitute women wearing this garment, which covers their breasts.
The Romans embraced the Greek ideal of male and female beauty. Large penises were seen as unattractive by most, except when they were worn as amulets to ward against jealousy. Catullus and other Roman authors referred to the breasts with the term “papillae” (nipples), which emphasized their minimalistic preference.
A woman with strophium (strophion).
Ovid also dreamed about his lover’s smaller breasts. Martial made fun of women with large breasts, and older women with “pendulous” breasts were stigmatized. Women who were meant to be humorously ugly in Roman plays often had enlarged breasts. Greek epigrams celebrated the female breast, while Roman authors paid little mind beyond including them as part of a woman’s attractiveness or shape.
Archeological Findings
Roman Sportswomen
Ancient Roman sportswomen in bikinis made of a strophium bra and a subligaculum panty. (File, CC BY-SA 2.5)
On the floor of the Hall of the Coronation of the Victorious at the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily, a mosaic portraying female athletes in strophiums was discovered, dating back to the time of Diocletian (286–305 AD). In this 4th-century AD mosaic, Roman girls are playing sports in their bikinis, which is a combination of a strophium as a bra and a subligaculum as a panty. Women are seen in different athletic activities, including gymnastics, weightlifting, and running.
Venus
Venus in a bikini; subligaculum (lower) and strophium (upper). Marble statuette found in Pompeii. (Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Casa della Venere, the tablinum of the House of Julia Felix, and the garden-atrium of the House of Loreius Tiburtinus all include strophiums depicting the goddess Venus in a bikini. In the above example, she is wearing a golden one.
Like the Greek Aphrodite, Venus was a goddess associated with love and beauty, and depicting her in a bikini made of a strophium bra tells us how similar our understanding of beauty in ancient times was compared to today.
References
Featured Image: Flickr, Paul Asman and Jill Lenob – CC BY 2.0
Roman Clothing and Fashion – Google Books
Women and Roman Law – Jane F. Gardner – Cambridge Core
September 21, 2023
Subligaculum: An Iconic Loincloth Worn by the Romans
September 21, 2023
Perizoma: The Sacred Undergarment of Jesus
- Ancient loincloth used as underwear, documented in Minoan culture.
- Mentioned in relation to Jesus’ crucifixion, but not historically accurate.
- Theological debates influenced its representation in Christian art over centuries.
The perizoma was a kind of loincloth used as underwear in antiquity. The word comes from Greek: περίζωμα which means around the waist. The Minoan culture of Crete is where its existence was first documented. The perizoma is also a reference to the fabric that covered Jesus on the crucifixion, also called the loincloth of purity.
Perizoma and the Crucifixion of Jesus
During Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman soldiers probably stripped him down to his linen underwear. However, it’s not probable that they draped a loincloth over him out of regard for Jewish modesty. Flagellation, in which the victim is stripped completely naked, was the ultimate Roman humiliation.
Before the 8th century, the perizoma was not shown in art.
Francisco de Zurbarán, Crucifixion (1627).
The fourth-century Gospel of Nicodemus makes mention of this quality:
“Jesus left the praetorium accompanied by the two [impenitent] thieves. When they arrived, they stripped him of his clothes, put a cloth around him, and placed a crown of thorns on his head.”
Perizoma as an Heirloom
The fabled Descriptio recounts how the ruler of Constantinople allegedly presented Charlemagne with Passion relics upon his return from Jerusalem. The Holy Lance and the perizoma were also there, as were a nail and a piece of wood from the True Cross.
The virgin’s clothing and Jesus’ swaddling garments were both revered artifacts. The perizoma is the only relic now housed in Aachen Cathedral. Charles the Bald relocated the others in 876 to the royal abbey of Saint-Denis and the church of Saint-Corneille in Compiègne.
The perizoma may represent Christ’s girdle, length, and other characteristics, making it a useful tool for dating crucifixion art.
The Fate of the Naked Jesus Figures
To emphasize his vulnerability, early painters often showed Jesus without clothes on. A colobium (lengthy tunic) or subligaculum (an ancient Roman undergarment in a thin strip of cloth like a thong) is what Jesus was often shown wearing when he began to be represented in Rome in the 5th century. This was despite the fact that it was Roman custom to crucify people bare-naked.
Throughout the century, this almost-naked, crucified man image, which dates back to the Hellenistic era, faded from view in the 500s. In 593, Gregory of Tours wrote about a dream in which Christ came to a priest called Basil, condemning his nudity and threatening him with death if he did not cover it up. This dream is recounted in Glory of the Martyrs.
Perugino, Crucifixion in perizoma (c. 1482), Washington, National Gallery of Art.
A colobium became a common iconographic theme in Eastern places vulnerable to monophysite influence; therefore, it has become common to see Jesus wearing a long tunic in his newer depictions. Because of this religious ban, depictions of Christ in his naked, simplified form have become uncommon in Christian art since the 11th century.
The Rise of the Perizoma
The claim that two Roman soldiers wore Christ’s clothing as their own sparked discussion in the Middle Ages. As time went on, painters stopped using the colobium in favor of the perizoma, starting about the 8th century.
In the 11th century, the perizoma reached its peak, giving rise to a variety of drapery styles, some of which assumed striking proportions in Romanesque art. Perhaps this represented a popular myth at the time that Mary ripped off a portion of her robe to hide Jesus’ nakedness at the foot of the cross.
Around the end of the 13th century, the Italian artist Giotto painted a translucent perizoma. Perhaps he mirrored the famous religious artifact, the Virgin’s Veil of Mary. However, this may also be an allusion to Augustine of Hippo’s rejection of Christ’s potentia generandi (“sexual power”) since the translucent perizoma shows Jesus with a sexual trait. The perizoma reverted to its original opaque state in the 14th century.
A big cross in gilded wood with Jesus Christ crucified in a perizoma. (Rundvald, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The initial theological justification for the “ostentatio genitalium,” or display of Christ’s genitalia, was to emphasize his humanity. However, his nudity was banned during the Council of Trent and the Catholic Reformation; therefore, this movement met resistance. These two groups disapproved of the concept that religious art should once again emphasize beauty and the nakedness of classical antiquity.
Plaster or lead perizoma (used for censorship) was applied to his statues, while opaque and subsequently transparent perizoma (used for censorship of paintings) were also used for this purpose. As the linen got increasingly see-through, the sex of Christ on the crucifixion became less obvious. Like the virtuosic lightness of the linen, it was selected to subtly but powerfully imply that Christ lacked the virile quality or was only gifted with a little, boyish sex.
However, there were instances of Christ being completely unclothed in depictions of the Passion even during the Renaissance era, as seen in Michelangelo’s well-known youth crucifix. Nonetheless, all of these efforts were just austere devotion.
Perizoma in Art
Jesus in perizoma, Gospel of Rabbula, 6th century.
The perizoma is only shown in a select few Christian icons. These are the paintings depicting Christ’s death on the cross, The Deposition from the Cross and the Pietà.
Other artworks include an ivory relief from c. 420–430, depicting the crucifixion of Christ in a perizoma; Perugino’s “Crucifixion” from around 1482, housed at the Washington National Gallery of Art; Francisco de Zurbarán’s “Crucifixion” created in 1627, which can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago; and Cornelis Schut’s “Deposition” from approximately 1630, currently displayed at Liège’s Grand Curtius museum.
References
Glory of the Martyrs – Google Books
Relics from the Crucifixion – Google Books
September 21, 2023