Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereign ...

, a ''laticlave'', or ''clavus'', was a broad stripe or band of purple on the fore part of the

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...

, worn by

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

s as an emblem of office. The name ''laticlavia'' translates to "broad nail" and figuratively "broad stripe", in contrast to the "narrow stripe" (''

angusticlavia In ancient Rome, an ''angusticlavia'', ''angusticlavus'', or ''angustus clavus'' was a narrow-strip tunic (''tunica'') with two narrow vertical Tyrian purple stripes (''clavi''). The tunic was typically worn under the toga with the right side stri ...

'') which appeared on the tunics of lower social ranks. This ornament, according to some, was called ''clavus'' ("nail") as being set with little round plates of gold, or silver, like the heads of nails. Cantelius maintained that the clavus consisted of a kind of purple flowers, sewn upon the cloth. The garment is mentioned in

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

, as citizens singing songs of disapproval against

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

for him having offered the opportunity for Gauls to "put on the laticlave" as imposter/foreign members of a traditionally "Roman" Senate.

References

* *''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'', 1913. Regalia Roman-era clothing {{Clothing-stub