An ''abolla'' was a cloak-like garment worn by
ancient Greeks and
Romans.
Nonius Marcellus quotes a passage of
Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...
to show that it was a garment worn by soldiers (''vestis militaris''), and thus opposed to the
toga. Roman women also wore a version of the ''abolla'' by at least the imperial period.
The ''abolla'' was, however, not confined to military occasions, but was also worn in the city. It was especially used by the
Stoic and
Cynic philosophers at Rome as the ''pallium philosophicum'', just as the Greek philosophers were accustomed to distinguish themselves by a particular dress. Hence, the expression of
Juvenal
Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ; 55–128), was a Roman poet. He is the author of the '' Satires'', a collection of satirical poems. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, but references in his works to people f ...
''facinus majoris abollae'' merely signifies, "a crime committed by a very deep philosopher". It could also be used as a luxury item.
Ptolemy of Mauretania wore a purple cloak so luxurious that it is theorized that
Caligula
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...
had him executed out of jealousy.
The term ''abolla'' is actually a
Latinization of the Greek ''ambolla'' () or ''anabole'' (), for a loose woolen cloak.
See also
*
Pallium
*
Paenula
*
Clothing in ancient Rome
References
Other sources
*''The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable''
*
External links
*
Abolla(article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities)
{{Historical clothing
Ancient Roman military clothing
Academic dress
Robes and cloaks
Roman-era clothing
Greek clothing