Most clothes were made from large uncut pieces of material which were folded and pinned or tied with belts. This was because needles were made out of bone, and were therefore difficult to sew with. The Romans knew how to bleach their clothes and to dye them different colours.

Men's clothing

Men wore a short tunic made out of two rectangular pieces of cloth, with short sleeves stitched at the sides and shoulders, and tied with a belt. A man might also have worn a toga.

The Romans divided people into different groups. If a man was a Roman citizen he was allowed to vote in election (women and slaves were not allowed to do this). He also had three names, a first name, a family name and a third name, which was sometimes a nickname. People who were not citizens had two names and slaves had one name. 

Being a citizen was a very high up and special position in Roman society. Only a citizen of Rome could wear a toga. This was a long sheet wound around the body, over the left shoulder and under the right arm. They were awkward to wear, but the Romans were proud of them because they were a symbol of importance.

Women's clothing

Women wore a tunic with a longer dress over the top. This second tunic was called a 'stola', and was fastened with brooches. You can see many different examples of brooches on display at the Norwich Castle Museum [external link]. When they went out they also wore a cloak ('palla') which could be wrapped around their heads.

Jewellery

There are many examples of jewellery and pins in the Norwich Castle Museum exhibition [external link]. Both men and women would wear finger-rings and Roman women liked to wear earrings, necklaces, armlets and brooches. The pins on display are made of bone and copper, and would have been used to fasten clothes, or create hairstyles.

Often pins had very detailed decoration carved on to them.

Hairstyles

Wealthy women spent a lot of time and money on their hairstyles, and had slaves to dress their hair for them. Hair could be curled and plaited into very complicated hairstyles. Sometimes women would even cut the hair of red-headed and blonde slaves to make wigs for themselves.

As we can see on paintings and coins, hairstyles changed over the years as they do today.

Most Roman men had short hair, but at one time it was fashionable to have longer hair which was oiled and curled.