The stola () (pl. ''stolae'') was the

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, corresponding to the

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tra ...

that was worn by

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. It was also called ''vestis longa'' in Latin literary sources, pointing to its length.

History

The ''stola'' was a staple of fashion in ancient Rome spanning from the early

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

until the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The garment was first identified on statues by Margarete Bieber. The first evidence of the ''stola''/''vestis longa'' dates to the 3rd century BCE, but the form of the garment is common in the Mediterranean world and so it must be much older. In Republican times, it was simply part of Roman female dress practice. In Augustan times, when it was used much less, the ''stola'' was taken up by Imperial cultural policy and was turned – like the '' vitta'' (plaited

headband A headband or hairband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plast ...

) – into a dress insigne of married Roman women. It may even have been a legal privilege. By this time, it was worn only by women of the social elite. At the beginning of the 2nd century CE, the ''stola'' fell completely out of use. However, the term ''matrona stolata'', referring to married women of equestrian rank, remained a technical term in inscriptions. A well-known image of the stola is the one worn by the

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Social conventions

It has long been believed that Roman women originally did not wear ''stolae'' and that they instead wore togas like the men. However, this goes back to a scholarly lore invented in Late Antiquity. For the most part, the ''toga'' was worn exclusively by men, and Roman wives (''matronae'') traditionally wore the ''stola''. In Latin literature, wearing the male ''toga'' was associated with

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

. In Roman life, the only Roman women who wore a ''toga'' were unfree prostitutes (referred to as '' meretrices'' or ''ancillae'') who worked in the streets and in brothels. A Roman matron convicted of adultery (''moecha damnata'') did not actually have to wear a ''toga'' in public from then on. She was only symbolically called a ''togata'' (a woman in ''toga'') since she was unfit to be a matron (as epitomized by the ''stola''). Female and male citizen children could wear a ''toga'' ''praetexta'' (a toga with purple border), but this usage should be kept apart from wearing the toga as an adult.

Description

The ''stola'' was a long, pleated, sleeveless robe that could be worn by Roman wives (''matronae''). It was worn as a symbol and represented a woman's

marital status Civil status, or marital status, are the distinct options that describe a person's relationship with a significant other. '' Married'', '' single'', '' divorced'', and ''widowed'' are examples of civil status. ''Civil status'' and ''marital st ...

, and it was also worn by the Roman Vestal priestesses. There are no physical remains of any ''stola''. The matron’s ''stola'' usually served as an intermediate garment and was worn over the undertunic ('' subucula'') and under the cloak (''

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

''). It looked like a ‘''

peplos A peplos () is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by , during the late Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, Classical period. It was a long, rectangular cloth with the top edge folded down ab ...

''’ and had longitudinal folds (''rugae)''. There are no explicit literary sources as to its upper opening, but there is archaeological evidence. This shows that, in Augustan times, the sleeveless garment was fastened by significant shoulder straps (''analeptrides''). It also had a visible lower border, called ''instita'' (or in non-technical language a ''limbus''). The fabrics used for ''stolae'' were presumably linen or wool, but a wealthy woman might have also used silk.

Varieties

The matronal ''stola'' had no fixed colour. The ''stola'' of the Vestal virgins was presumably white. The border (''instita'') was probably usually in purple colour (similar to the purple border on an expensive

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Stola
(article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities)

{{Historical clothing, state=expanded Roman-era clothing Dresses Byzantine clothing