Latin American Arts
May 12, 2020
audio-listening and video-watching
May 12, 2020

toga styles

Paper instructions:
Overview:  For this assignment you will research the backdrop and development of the historic Roman Empire and explore the relationships between clothing and

social status in that era.  You will also be asked to see how it feels to wear some of the Ancient Roman styles, but this is no toga party!

Task

Part 1:  Research and explain the following in at least 200 words:
– Identify three different toga styles, setting forth a description of each. Describe what type of person wore each of the toga styles.
– Discuss what other cultures influenced the Ancient Roman clothing styles and way of dressing.  Did the Romans adopt anything else from other cultures?

Part 2:
Using a bed sheet or a lightweight blanket, some safety pins or brooches, and a belt or rope, try making yourself a Doric or Ionic chiton.  You may want to pin the

shoulders first, and then put it over your head.  You may need to fold the top over to the outside to make the garment the right length.  To create a chiton/tunic that

would be more of a man’s length, use a large towel or smaller blanket.

Now refer to your instruction sheet from the lecture on How to Drape a Toga. Take a sheet, lightweight blanket, or piece of fabric, and drape yourself in this

garment of early Rome in front of a mirror.  Remember, no pins or belts were used to hold the toga up!

In at least 200 words, discuss: What were the original togas made of, and how big were they?  What challenges did you encounter in producing these garments? How

would these clothes affect your current daily activities?

Research:  Use the textbook and lectures as your main sources of information about the styles of the Ancient Romans, but there is also a great deal of information

about the Etruscans and Romans online to add to your research.  The following resources are credible and informative:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/

http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel/html/index.html

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/etruscans.htm

http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romanpages.html

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA/Daily_Life/home.html