Latin/Clothing Lesson 1

Salvēte omnēs! Welcome back to Latin for Wikiversity. If you would like to catch up, you can find past lessons in the directory, a classified vocabulary list, and Memrise courses at the links on the right.

Today we’ll learn some terms for clothing, as the Ancient Romans knew it. For today’s lesson, imagine yourself transported back in time to the streets of Rome during the time of Augustus Caesar. A future lesson, after I’ve had some time to do more research, will give terms for modern clothing equivalents.

Practice
Here is a pretty good article about Roman clothing, with pictures. And of course, there is the Wikipedia article.

Although it has some more advanced grammar and vocabulary than we’ve encountered yet, you might enjoy this conversational Latin youtube video about a boy who misplaces his clothing

If you are fascinated with ancient clothing and how it was constructed, you may enjoy this youtube video of the reconstruction of the Lendbreen Tunic in Norway. It’s in Norwegian (with subtitles in English) so it is delightful to hear that language spoken as well. Imagine the countless hours of work that went into this most simple and basic garment, and you will appreciate why the highest praise for a Roman woman was domī mānsit, lānam fēcit (She stayed at home, she did her wool). And then for a very thorough exploration of the ancient history of textiles, you might enjoy reading Women’s Work: The first 20,000 Years.

Next time, we’ll attempt to give modern clothing terms in Latin. Until then, valēte et habēte bonam fortūnam!