Reconstructing the Roman and Celtic Dress of Aquincum STUDIES S Reconstructing the Roman and Celtic Dress of Aquincum *

Reconstructing the Roman and Celtic Dress of Aquincum STUDIES s Reconstructing the Roman and Celtic Dress of Aquincum *

In 2000, the Aquincum Museum ouring the dead. Although these in Budapest organised an stones were fashioned in Roman exhibition dedicated to the stone carvers’ workshops, the pa- development of local dress trons were both Romans and lo- customs during the Roman cal Eraviscan Celts, judging by the period, based on depictions on names and garments depicted on grave stele and textile remains the stele. These grave stele have from graves found in the been found around the Roman region. town of Aquincum located on the territory of what was to become the n Annamária SZU city of Budapest, capital of Hungary n Ildikó OKA today. Reconstructions of the local n Orsolya MADARASSY Roman and Celtic fashion were on (Hungary) display from May 2000 to October 2001 at the Aquincum Museum in After the Roman conquest of Pan- Budapest. nonia in the AD 1st century, indig- enous people and new settlers alike During setting-up preparations for began to practice the Roman cus- the exhibition, research was con- tom of erecting grave steles hon- ducted looking into parallels between the preserved textile remains from Late Roman Aquincum graves as well as textiles found in other Ro- man provinces and the often frag- mentary as well as sometimes heav- n Fig. 2 The territory of the Eraviscan Celts in the Roman ily stylized depictions on stone province of Pannonia. monuments in the Aquincum lapidary. The dress ensembles displayed From Celtic settlements in the exhibition have been created using traditional manufacturing to capital of the province methods described in Roman liter- During the AD 1st century, the Celt- ary sources, analyses of archaeolog- ic Eraviscus tribe occupied mid- ical finds from Aquincum (Fig. 1), and north-eastern Transdanubia ethnographic analogies and results (Fig. 2). of experimental archaeology. The materials were hand-woven, sewn Their settlements have been dis- by hand with linen, wool or silk covered on both sides of the Dan- threads, some of which were also ube and slopes of the surrounding hand-spun and coloured using dye hills with their fortified centre hav- plants. We used modern tools, ma- ing been excavated on Gellért–hill terials and garments where Latin in Budapest. According to the lat- models were not available. Through est research, Roman occupation this approach, it became possible to of the future province of Pannonia understand what the Roman and took place gradually. This histori- Celtic costumes of the region prob- cal process ended in a rather peace- ably looked like. An emphasis was ful incorporation of the Eraviscus placed on reconstructing the alto- tribe’s land into the Roman Empire. gether more colourful, diverse and The Eraviscan way of life contin- n Fig. 1 A woman holding a distaff as decorated dresses of the women ued with hardly any changes dur- well as spindle and whorl. This scene inhabitants of the town – both Ro- ing the AD 1st century, but after the is depicted on a stone grave stele man and Celtic – although the cos- so-called conquest the Celts quick- and was the model for this woman’s tumes of men and children were ly adapted themselves. Romanisa- clothing in this reconstruction. also studied. tion occurred so rapidly that by the

* This article is based on the text of the catalogue for the exhibition Celtic Women - Roman Ladies which took place at the Aquincum Museum in Budapest. The full catalogue as well as bibliography is available on-line at http://www.eurorea.net The grave stele and some of the photographs can be seen as part of the permanent display in the museum. The authors would like to express their thanks to Karola Müller, without whose kind preparation and editing this article would not have been published.

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middle of the century, during the 117–138) the Civil Town was given governor’s position could only be reign of Claudius (AD 41–54), the the rank of municipium and from filled by a former consul. The gov- whole area was organized into the this time on, it had the right to au- ernor’s palace and the administra- independent province of Pannonia. tonomous administration. Mem- tive quarter was expanded and re- bers of the civil council, the ordo, built at this time following the latest The first military units were gener- were elected from among civilians luxurious tastes. During the reign ally auxiliary cavalry troops (ala). of Eraviscus origin. of the Severan dynasty, more and By the end of the AD 1st century, a more inhabitants coming from Af- legion was established in Aquincum In the period of the AD 170s, after rica and Eastern provinces settled and by the beginning of the AD 2nd the continuous and peaceful devel- in Aquincum and this fact had its century, the second and third gen- opment of the Antoninus’ era, this own effect on fashion as well. eration of those who had been giv- settlement became a military gather- en Roman citizenship after serving ing place for nearly twenty years dur- In the second half of the AD 3rd in an auxiliary troop and those who ing the long Marcomann wars. Mer- century, barbarian pressure in the were born Roman citizens had also chant and commerce were geared environs of the Danube increased. grown up. more to catering for the troops of Dacia was surrendered in AD 271 the Imperial army. Importing luxury and Pannonia became one of the At the end of the AD 1st centu- goods became less important. most insecure zones in the Empire. ry, the limes had been constructed This was the time of the so-called along the Danube River marking In the last decade of the AD 2nd cen- soldier-emperors when members the frontier of the Roman Empire. tury, Septimus Severus (AD 193– of the Panno nian–Illyricum army After Trajan’s reign (AD 98–117) 211) rose to power in Rome with corps controlled all key positions of the Roman army was reformed. the support of the army in Panno- Imperial politics in Rome. Many of Legions were garrisoned locally nia. At any rate, as the army grew the emperors visited far-off Aquin- in Pannonia, their ranks comple- in strength as a political factor, the cum in order to calm any politi- mented by Roman citizens. As the new emperor wished to conciliate cal tension, though provisory ad- Romans settled in Aquincum over it. At this time, canabae often ac- vantages gained in this way might a long period, the former half-tim- quired the status of colonia with- quickly vanished. bered constructions were replaced in the Empire. Nearby settlements by stone-buildings. The legion- were also granted higher status. By the end of the century Diocle- ary fortress was the central nucle- Thus, both the Civil Town and the tian (AD 284–305) introduced a us of the later town. The Military Military Town in Aquincum be- new administrative system in the Town (canabae), inhabited by mili- came colonia. region. With Pannonia Inferior di- tary families and veterans, grew up vided into two parts, Aquincum be- around this fortress. The Civil Town With substantial increases in came the military administrative (in the area around the Aquincum wages,the financial circumstances seat of the new province of Valeria. Museum) was constructed north of of the population improved mark- A special defence system was estab- this military area. It was the habita- edly. As a result, large–scale con- lished on the left (barbarian) side of tion centre for the tribal Eraviscan struction work was initiated with- the Danube of which the remains of aristocracy who had been granted in the town. The largest number of two fortifications are located within Roman citizenship and for other and, at the same time, most beau- modern Budapest: Contra Aquin- Roman civilians who settled here. tiful objects in the Aquincum Mu- cum and Transaquincum. seum lapidary date to this period. At the beginning of the AD 2nd cen- It can clearly be seen from these re- Constantine the Great (AD 312–337) tury, Aquincum became the mili- mains what a great impact this gen- reformed the army and the whole tary and administrative centre of eral prosperity had on fashion and military defence system once again. Pannonia Inferior (Lower Panno- on the quality of textiles. It was at that time that a Late Ro- nia) and the seat of the governor, man fort was built, transforming the the Legatus Augusti. The governor The Emperor Caracalla (AD 211– 2nd–3rd century legionary fortress. and his entourage brought the lat- 217) continued his father’s poli- Most of the Aquincum army and est fashions from the city of Rome tics and in AD 212 he gave Roman the civilian population moved into and helped spread the general Ro- citizenship to all people born free this stronghold and its surround- man costume among settled civil- throughout the Roman Empire. ings. From the middle of the 4th cen- ians and merchants from various This measure did not have such a tury, waves of new peoples – part of provinces. Soldiers wore military perceptible result on objects which the so-called Great Migration – ini- uniform although women of local have come to light from Aquincum, tially attacked Pannonia but later origin continued to wear tradition- located as it was on the line of the settled as allies of Rome (foederati). al Eraviscan dress for a long time. frontier, than it did two years later The newly settled tribes of various During the rule of Hadrian (AD in AD 212, when the emperor mod- origins took up Roman–style ele- ified the frontier line between Pan- ments of attire but they also pre- n Fig. 3 Reconstruction of a Roman lady’s attire based on nonia Inferior and Pannonia Su- served their sophisticated ancient grave steles found in the area of the Roman and Celtic perior. The political importance of tastes, as demonstrated by the pre- town in Aquincum, Pannonia. The grave steles demon- Pannonia Inferior grew unexpect- served remains of their clothing. No strate that there was a considerable difference between edly as it became a province with depictions of their costume have Celtic and Roman dress. two legions. From this time, the come to light from this period.

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Pleated and layered: back, guided the other end over their the dress of a Roman lady right shoulder and finally cast it onto their left shoulder; this being the As each freeborn man in the Roman classical way to wear a palla. Empire displayed his social position and rank through his dress, so During the AD 3rd century, the edges did women. Cloth, wrapped tightly of the palla were frequently decorat- around the body, the loins or breasts, ed with woven bands. This pattern served as an undergarment. There can easily be distinguished on depic- are also hints of small underpants tions. The palla of the Late Roman and even corsets. Over this, women Period was drawn behind the back wore a short shirt, the tunica , from with its two ends covering the shoul- which only the hem, visible below ders and hanging down over the el- the neck hole of the over garment, bows or, alternatively, held togeth- shows on depictions. It was generally er at the front. The thickness of the plain white, although sometimes em- palla material depended on the cli- broidery or a woven band decorated mate and the owner’s social status. the hems. In sacrificial scenes carved in the lower sections of grave stele The most popular colours for fes- below the portraits of the deceased, tive costumes were red, purple and n Fig. 4 A wall painting from Aquincum depicts a boy the living are shown off offering gifts various shades of violet. Harmony or young man wearing a loincloth as an undergarment to the dead. In these scenes, women of colour was very important in Ro- while bringing in the grape harvest. are depicted in their everyday attire. man fashion: a light stola was com- These clothes are usually variations monly worn with a palla in a dark- soldiers who were recognizable by on a long tunica with or without er shade of the same colour. The the dress uniform they wore out- sleeves. The tunica with long sleeves most common combinations were side the fortress. There were rela- differs from a stola – the common purples, violets, reds and white or tively few people who commemo- over-garment – as it does not cover yellow with the aforementioned rated themselves by wearing a toga. the front of the feet. Its length was colours. Blue and green were also Military and civilian dress differed adjusted with an under-belt. customary. Use of brown or black from each other in the cut and col- was exceptional, probably because our of the over-garment. By exam- The longstola reached down to just these were the colours of mourn- ining the representations in the above their feet. From Pannonia we ing. One can also derive colour Aquincum Museum it is possible know of only the later model where combinations from depictions on to trace changes in “gentleman’s” the front and the back were simply grave steles from Aquincum: a yel- fashion. Men’s undergarments con- sewn together. This type might have low stola with a red palla or a red sisted of a loincloth, as seen on an also been decorated by two thin ver- stola with a red palla. On the other Aquincum wall painting depicting a tical stripes in line with the corners hand, the remains of fabrics found boy harvesting (Fig. 4). The festive of the neck hole and woven into in archaeological contexts are regu- dress of a Roman civilian was made or sewn onto the fabric. The stola larly of darker colour such as dark from wool and consisted of a white had short-sleeved and long-sleeved purple, dark violet, brown and dark sleeveless or long-sleeved tunica and variants. They could be tied with a blue. Moreover, we have some al- a toga, the white woollen gown worn twine or ribbon belt just below the most black fabric remains found in over the tunica. Thetunica worn by breast. On the inner side, the low- graves from the AD 4th century. more distinguished men was deco- er part that swept the ground was rated by two vertical purple stripes lined with a stronger and cheap- In Antiquity separate fashion for running down from two corners er band of material. This hem was children did not exist. Little girls of the neck-hole. Thetoga was ba- filled to make the edge firm. dressed like their mothers. At the sically a blanket with approximate- time of state festivals and cult cer- ly eight-angles. Its width was twice A rectangular mantle, the palla, was emonies, boys and girls under ten the size of its owner’s and its length draped over the stola (Fig. 3). Ac- years of age from worthy families three times his height (Fig. 5). cording to reconstruction experi- wore the same toga praetexta, that ments, the stola could be 1.5 m wide is, a toga with a purple hem. The Draping it was very difficult, since and up to 5 m long. A Roman wom- everyday attire of children com- its pleats could not be arranged an would have wrapped it around prised a longer tunica for girls and without help. Because it was so her body in such a way that she could a shorter one for boys. A gown was complicated to put on properly, the hold the end of the palla in one hand worn over this in colder weather. toga gradually lost popularity al- instead of fastening it with a brooch though it never disappeared com- or a pin. When leaving her home, Fit for every occasion: pletely. The knee-long, long sleeved she covered her head with the palla tunica was made from rather thick although she would also wear a small soldiers and civilians wool cloth characteristic of north- light veil. Women shown on Aquin- As a garrison of a frontier zone of ern, colder regions. Sometimes it cum line steles first let the left end of the Empire was located in Aquin- was tied with two belts. The low- their palla hang from their left shoul- cum, a large part of the male popu- er belt adjusted the length of the der. Then they threw it across their lation consisted of active or retired tunica while the second belt held it

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in place. This later variant is charac- and its two sides were often sewn Traditional or outlandish? teristic of military dress. The sleeves together. To prevent the holes for The costume of Celtic of the tunica were originally straight the stitches along the seam from women and narrow; a wider-sleeved variant stretching, strips and sometimes came into fashion at the beginning twine were used to reinforce them. Ancient literature deals in detail of the AD 3rd century. The sides of thepaenul a either with the way Romans dressed, but hung down or were arranged in the costume of the native popula- Military uniform dress, often de- pleats and draped over the shoul- tion is scarcely mentioned, so there picted on grave steles, consisted of a ders. Only with the paenula was a are no written records concerning tunica and a military cloak (sagum) red woollen cloth worn. It is easily their garments The Eraviscan wom- (Fig. 6). It was fixed on the right recognizable by its characteristic en’s clothing from Pannonia has shoulder with a brooch. Its col- globular outline. The festive dress been preserved only in contempo- our appears to have been red on uniform consisted of a tunica with rary depictions. That is why, in or- the basis of surviving spots of red ornamental armour over it and der to complete our reconstruction, paint on stone monuments. At the sagum worn over all. Soldiers of methods from modern experimen- back, the sagum covered the tunica, higher rank carried a commander’s tal archaeology and ethnological which reached half-way down the cloak (paludamentum), as a sign of analogies were employed. The grave leg, while at the front it was either their status. It was, usually violet steles of Roman and Celtic women thrown over the left shoulder or its coloured and richly ornamented. can be distinguished at first glance. left side was held in left hand in an This kind of cloak can be seen on Although various types of Eravis- arrangement of vertical pleats. One a marble statue in the permanent can women’s dress have emerged in of its ends was fringed. The fringe exhibition. the surroundings of Aquincum, the always hung down from the left important characteristics are the shoulder. The fringe of asagum During the conquest of the north- same. They put on woollen upper could be either short or long and ern parts of Europe, the uniform clothing over a long–sleeved long bunched. of the Roman army was enriched shirt. This was pinned at the shoul- by clothing derived from the Celtic ders with the characteristic Celtic There are some depictions on grave and Germanic costume. The paenu- brooches (fibulae) and fastened at steles of veterans wearing anoth- la, sagum and trousers are examples the waist or under the breast with er type of cloak. This is a red cape of this borrowing. There are soldiers a belt. The upper skirt / shirt bot- called a paenula made from milled shown on Trajan’s column, a monu- tom never reached as far as the an- wool cloth. According to contem- ment carved to commemorate eve- kles, but were shorter. As a gen- porary Antique sources, this kind ryday life during the Dacian wars, eral rule, Celtic women left their of cape could also be worn by ci- who because of cold weather, wore house with their heads covered. In vilians. It was closed at the front narrow trousers reaching to the this characteristic detail, their at- middle of their legs. Trousers may tire differed from Roman custom have comprised the everyday dress (Fig. 7). The Celtic “turban-scarf”, of cavalry soldiers in Aquincum. well known in the contemporary Descriptions of this kind of cloth- literature is, in fact, a combination ing have also survived. Variants on of two individual pieces of clothing sleeveless or long-sleeved tunicae a linen scarf or bonnet and the fes- can be seen in sacrificial scenes on tive scarf over it. The under-head- some grave steles showing that this gear was made from various mate- type of clothing was also worn in rials and in various ways. In some Pannonia. areas, women wound turbans made from long, narrow scarves around According to the sources, common their heads. In other regions, ladies people wore a brownish garment wore rounded, hat-like headgear suggesting that their clothes were with smooth surfaces, probably probably left in their original, nat- made from felt. Sometimes the hat ural colours. Depictions of native and the nape were wrapped with Celtic men in traditional attire have a big shawl made from fine fabric. not yet been found on grave steles. Red festive rectangular or triangu- Men who kept their traditional gar- lar shawls were then draped over ments even after the Roman con- them. Tailored and sewn bonnets quest would, presumably, have been were also known. buried according to ancient Celtic rites. In the exhibition at the Aquin- As for under-clothing, Celtic wom- cum Museum, the dress of the Celt- an wore long-sleeved shirts, prob- ic male was inspired by modern ably made from white linen-cloth. costume reconstructions on the one It is possible to distinguish vari- hand and on the other by descrip- ous cuts from descriptions of neck- n Fig. 7 An Eraviscan woman wear- tions in contemporary sources sug- holes, the shape of the shirt-sleeves ing a shawl, one of the characteris- gesting that Celts were fond of fab- or fabric pleats. The front and the tics of Celtic female attire in the city. rics with squares or stripes. back of the shirt were sometimes

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made from a single rectangular tube-like piece of cloth. Based on ex- sheet with the neck hole woven in perimental reconstruction, its long- and the sleeves sewn on. These de- er variant might have been 3 m long scriptions allowed us to make two and the shorter one 1.8 m. It was kinds of reconstructions: the shirts either fixed at the shoulders with a may have been tailored as an all-in- pair of fibulae or sewn together in one garment or in a shorter form the same way as the pinafore. The with an under-skirt worn with it. bottom was then pulled up to the height of the ankles and the dress The upper clothing was made from was fastened with a belt or twine. wool and, in most cases, red wool. The surplus cloth dangled back over Although we can hardly find two the belt and another belt was tied be- depictions in the lapidary of Aquin- neath the breast. This process yields cum that are identical in all details, very interesting contours and an some typical characteristics can still arching, rounded, pleated “upper” be distinguished. The simplest kind skirt (Fig. 10, 11, 12). The linen un- of clothing was a dress made from derwear does not show on the depic- a rectangular piece of fabric. The tions; the “lower” and “upper” skirts fabric was used just as it was cut are the same colour. off the loom with women wrapping the material around them (Fig. 8). Celtic women fastened their wool n Fig. 5 Putting on a toga several metres length was not No cutting or needle work was in- over dress under the breasts with easy and could not be done without help. volved. It was fixed at the shoulder ribbon-belts of variable thickness. with a pair of fibulae. This kind of We have not found any depictions dress was fashionable mostly dur- of buckles on the stone monuments ing the early period, in the AD 1st of Aquincum. Stone carvers depict century but it remained in use un- belts as plain bands, so these could til the beginning of the AD 2nd cen- not have been knotted belts either. tury, as can be seen on the earliest Most probably, 2 m long woven rib- stone monuments in our museum. bons were wrapped tightly around Women wore it by first placing the the body, so the layers did not over- upper right hand corner of the rec- lap with each other. Its end was tangular piece of cloth on the left then tucked in at the back, though shoulder. Then it was pulled back we can observe the end of a reason- below the right armpit and pinned ably long ribbon-belt end hanging at the front on the right shoulder. down in front of one of the figures Then, directing the fabric further on a grave stele. back, the first corner was pinned to the back by being pulled in place Wearing a shawl came into fashion from behind. Finally, the fabric was in the AD 2nd century. It was worn pulled from under the left armpit over the pinafore and was a vari- where it was also held in place by ant of the sewn shoulder version of fibulae in front on the right and left the long dress with two belts. There shoulders. Thus, the whole dress were variants made from thin, fine n Fig. 6 Roman official wearing tunica and sagum, the had a double fold in front with its and pleated fabric or thick fabric ar- most common everyday clothing for male Roman citi- edge hanging down vertically from ranged in broad pleats. The width of zens in Aquincum. the right shoulder. a shawl would have been approxi- mately 0.4 m and its length was ei- One of the most typical kinds of ther 2.5 m or 1.5 m depending on clothing was a pinafore (Fig. 9). the type. Shawls were most likely This kind of upper dress reach- in different colours from the red ing below the knees is depicted on of the over skirt; we have descrip- most representations with under- tions of yellow and green variants. clothing showing beneath it. The It is easy to reconstruct the way it front and back parts were fastened was worn: its right end was placed at the shoulders with fibulae and on the left breast and pulled back sewn along the sides. In the AD 2nd over the right shoulder. Then it was century, the breast part of the dress folded in half just at the middle of was usually tapered. Pinafores were the back and placed over the left worn both with and without belts. shoulder so it lay on the left breast just above the right end of the cloth. Special garments appear on a number Next, the left end was folded back of stone monuments, which are not below the right edge and the pleats found in later European clothing. were arranged at the end. This kind The “long dress with two belts” was a of clothing may have been fashion- n Fig. 9 Eraviscan woman wearing a pinafore.

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able around Aquincum since it is under-garments was occasional- glass technique. Earrings harmo- depicted on the grave steles of at ly fastened with a small fibula; the nized with the neck-chain, though least six women in our lapidary. On over-clothing was also held in place their ring was only made from a the basis of sacrificial scenes shown by a pair of ca. 12–15 cm long, so- bent metal band or took the form of on grave steles, it seems that clothes called winged fibulae. a chiselled seal ring. for everyday use were identical to the best clothing, though the hem During the AD 2nd century, the The jewellery of the great could of garments was sometimes tucked shirtsleeves became narrower at the contain emeralds or genuine pearls. under a belt during work. Clothes wrist and thus, bracelets became These were strung onto bronze, sil- sewn at the shoulder were popular, thinner. The upper part of the shirt ver or gold wire. The ends of the but one can sometimes find over- was tailored or woven to shape to fit wire looped onto each another. clothing fastened with fibulae. Celtic close around the neck. In this way Jewellery made from plain polished children usually dressed similarly to a neck-chain decorated with 3 to black semi-precious stones and jet, their elders’. Young boys wore long 5 medallions were substituted for as well as cheaper imitations in sleeved tunicae, frequently covered the torques. The neck hole became black glass paste, came into fash- by a cloak similar to the sagum and diversified in form and the fibula ion from the second half of the AD held in place on the shoulder with a used to gather the neck of the shirt 3rd century. The coiffure of ladies in fibula. Girls wore various kinds of became more ornamented. Woollen Aquincum was held together with wool over-clothing over their long over-clothing was made from fin- bone or metal hairpins. Shawls sleeved shirts; the sewn-on-shoulder er fabric so that the winged fibulae were fastened with metal (bronze, variant was more popular (Fig. 13). also became smaller and lighter. silver or gold) pins with ornamented heads. When a child was born, Ornamental and Roman costume consisted explicit- an amulet in the form of a locket ly of tailor-made pieces of clothing (bulla), which they wore until they practical – Jewellery and the jewellery played no practi- became adults, was hung around its Jewellery was a practical part of cal role but was merely an accesso- neck. As a general rule, bronze and traditional Celtic garments since ry. Both the quality of clothing and iron bullae were found in children’s the attire ensemble was not other- the material the jewellery was made graves in Aquincum. wise held together (Fig. 14). Sin- from signalled wealth and social po- gle pieces both adorned dresses sition. A short string of beads em- The most important objects worn and held them together; changes in phasized the neck above the linear by men were metal belt ornaments the assemblage of jewellery reflects closing of the stola. In Aquincum, or military fibulae holding the tuni- changes in dress-patterns as well. the most popular colour for beads ca. The upper leather belt was fas- The shirt sleeves were bunched with was blue and green. The majority tened with metal buckles and these one or more, usually ribbed, bronze of the strings of beads found were were sometimes adorned with fit- bracelets while the neck of the made from coloured glass paste, tings. On some depictions we can shirt was alternatively ornament- and they could well have been worn see straps with round metal rivet ed and closed by a heavy, twisted as accessories just like the brace- fittings hanging from under-belts halter necklace called a torque. The lets made from bronze, silver, ivory, down over the knee. Thesagum was slashed, linear neck hole of the linen antler, and those made with a spun at first fastened on the right shoul-

n Fig. 10 Eraviscan woman wearing a longer version of a n Fig. 11 Eraviscan woman wearing a shorter variant of double-belted dress. the double-belted dress.

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der with a small disk fibula. The embalming and which piece be- so-called crossbow type brooch longed to the clothes and it is even was used only from the AD 4th cen- more difficult to connect the ele- tury. Rings were more often worn ments to concrete types of clothes. by men, and served as a symbol of Similar Egyptian mummy portraits social status. The toga and paluda- of the same age from Fayum can mentum, due to the great size and help our theoretical reconstruction the weight of their textiles, meant experiments, as can the representa- that the corners of clothes had to be tions on grave steles from Aquin- weighted with small lead weights cum. to maintain the fashionable, fine pleats of the clothes when the man The sarcophagus of a child excavat- moved. ed on Bécsi Road dates to the very beginning of the AD 4th century. The mummy’s long sleep: Four year old Cassia was wrapped textile remains from late in seven-layers of flax canvas. It is conceivable that the bottommost Roman graves and finest layer may have been part From the AD 4th century on a new of a linen tunica. A piece of silk and important group of sources clothing found underneath the 8 to n Fig. 13 Celtic jewellery from Aquincum. extends our knowledge of cloth- 10 layers of canvas bandage comes ing. An increasing number of fab- from a AD 4th century mummy ric finds were preserved in the Late grave at Szemlőhegy. The material is problematic. A linen warp thread Roman graves. By the turn of the analysis showed that this was a spe- could have been used to reinforce a 4th century, inhumation became the cial kind of silk, the raw material fabric made from both wool and silk burial rite of preference over earli- was made from a species of shell weft fibre, because both these kinds er cremation. Erecting grave steles living in the Mediterranean (“shell of fibres break easily when spun became less and less popular, and silk”). According to ancient sources finely and for this reason it is not what is more, the depictions became this was produced only in the Late possible to set them up on a loom. more schematic. A religious or eth- Roman period. Because of its deli- This is why a combination of wool nic community may have lived in cacy and cost, this cloth could only and silk can be excluded. As linen- the villas surrounding the Aquin- have been part of the attire of the wool textile remains were shown to cum colonia in the first half of the buried woman. be unambiguously present among AD 4th century, as the members of the fabrics, and the layer below was these communities were buried by A mummy found on Táborhegy identified as a wool textile, the silk being embalmed in a special way. also dates from this period. Experts fibres found between the two layers recognized the remains of rough probably came from a shawl. In ad- The Pannonian embalming meth- linen beneath 16 layers of linen- dition, the identification of the two od has two characteristic features: cloth, of which two layers were dyed layers of wool observed between the they used pine-resin as a preserv- and the bottommost was not. We linen-cloth bandage and the pur- ing agent and the sarcophagus was can presume that the dyed fabrics ple fabric remains is also doubtful. closed hermetically. This technique were parts of a garment. This old- The find is likely to be from a wool differs entirely from the Egyptian er woman wore an undyed tunica gown worn over a palla, although one, resembling that method in covered with a purple cloth. On top such dress was never depicted on name only. Most of our textile finds she wore a conventional, dark blue stone monuments in Aquincum, came to light between the years woollen palla. moreover this would be the only 1912 to 1983. As fabric starts to de- example of such a textile mix from cay at once when being exposed to The most data we have on mummy an archaeological context. It could air, the analysis of textile remains al- attire comes from a grave excavat- possibly have been part of sheet or ways reflects the time in which the ed on Jablonkai Street in 1962 al- a burial shroud. fabric was found and the scientific though its reconstruction was made opportunities available then. There difficult by the great variety of tex- Another textile find from Perc is rarely an opportunity to carry tiles found in this single grave. The Street may also come from a mum- on extra examinations and in some remains of the two bottommost lay- my grave although there was no op- cases we can only rely on “in-situ” ers of undyed, fine linen-cloth must portunity to examine it closely, as excavation observations. Material have been part of the under-gar- the find disintegrated too quickly. examination is also made difficult ment and tunica of the young wom- The fine fabrics dyed with expen- by the fact that by using pine-res- an. Above this she seems to have sive dyes found in the graves and in during embalming, the layers of worn a bluish purple, fine woolstola the embalming technique itself textiles became felted together and made from a loose cross-fabric, and shows that, similarly to Late Roman the fibres themselves become both a purple dyed palla woven from a statues, these fabric finds reflect rigid and fragile. Multi-layer textile wool-linen fabric mix. The func- the dress traditions of the nobility. remains were found in every grave, tion of some very fragmented, pur- Considering all these facts though, but it is hard to identify which piece ple silk fibre observed among the it can be assumed that such luxu- was part of the bandage used in the remains of canvas and wool textile ry goods could easily have found

4/2007 euroREA 9 s STUDIES Reconstructing the Roman and Celtic Dress of Aquincum

et de figurations contemporaines, Zur Rekonstruktion spécialement celles des pierres tombales der romano-keltischen gravées. Tracht Pannoniens La réalisation des vêtements a été autant Im Jahr 2000 organisierte das Museum que possible réalisée à l’aide de méthodes Aquincum (Budapest) eine Ausstellung, originales et traditionnelles: un tissage die der Entwicklung der regionalen manuel de fibres de lin, de laine et de Tracht während der romano-keltischen soie teintes à l’aide d’espèces végétales. Zeit gewidmet war. Während der Lorsque les données étaient trop Ausstellungsvorbereitungen wurden lacunaires, des méthodes modernes ont auch Forschungen durchgeführt, été utilisées. Cette opération a permis de welche die Parallelen zwischen den donner une image concrête du costume erhaltenen textilen Resten aus den des celtes romanisés, notamment pour spätrömischen Gräbern Aquincums la mode féminine (plus variée et plus sowie anderen römischen Provinzen und ornementée) mais également pour la den oft nur fragmentarisch erhaltenen mode masculine dans la zone d’influence und teilweise auch stark stilisierten de la cité d’Aquincum. Il est à savoir bildlichen Darstellungen im Aquincumer que la romanisation de cette région a Lapidarium herausarbeiteten. Die in der été rapide (Ier siècle) et que l’essor de Ausstellung gezeigten Trachtensembles l’Empire romain à la fin du IIe siècle a wurden auf der Grundlage traditioneller n Fig. 12 Putting on the double-belted dress. considérablement influencé la mode, qui Fertigungsmethoden, die in den deviendra alors plus riche et de meilleur römischen Schriftquellen überliefert sind, qualité. sowie auf der Basis von archäologischen Funden aus Aquincum (Abb. 1), von L’habit est très important pour ces ethnographischen Analogien und populations car il est porteur de von den Ergebnissen experimenteller marqueurs sociaux tant pour les Archäologie angefertigt. Die Materialien hommes que pour les femmes (la mode wurden handgewebt und in Handarbeit enfantine n’existe pas). L’harmonie des mit Leinfasern, Wolle oder Seidenfäden couleurs est travaillée et joue sur les – die teilweise handgesponnen und mauves, violets, rouges, blancs et jaunes mit in antiken Quellen erwähnten essentiellement. Les plus modestes ne Färberpflanzen eingefärbt wurden teignent pas les textiles et conservent les - hergestellt. Wir verwendeten aber couleur naturelles. S’il y a de nombreuses auch moderne Geräte, Materialien variations, tous les habits comportent des und Kleidungsstücke, sofern römische sous-vêtements ajustés sur lequels vont se Vorlagen bzw. Angaben für bestimmte succéder différentes couches. Stücke nicht vorhanden waren. Sur ces derniers, les femmes portent Die Tracht war in dieser Periode von une tunique généralement blanche avec großer Bedeutung, denn sie zeigte queques ornements possibles au niveau sichtbar die soziale Stellung sowohl du col, seul élément visible de la tunique. von Mann und Frau. Die Grabsteine Cette dernière est longue et comporte der römischen und keltischen Frauen ou non des manches. Elle est maintenue n können allein dadurch auf den ersten Fig. 8 Putting on an over-garment. par une ceinture. Par-dessus s’ajoute une Blick voneinander unterschieden stola longue et également de longueur de werden. Die römischen Frauen trugen manches variable et qui se serre juste sous their way to Aquincum in earlier normalerweise eine Tunika oder eine la poitrine avec une ceinture (simple ou times as well. From the end of the Stola und eine Palla. Ein harmonisches double). Les femmes drapent une grande AD 4th century onwards, the Great Zusammenspiel der Farben war für étoffe (la palla) sur le tout, ce qui leur die römische Mode wichtig: Eine helle Migration period of brought politi- permet de sortir la tête couverte. cal instability and a variety of new Stola wurde üblicherweise mit einer influences. Little is known about Pour les hommes, le vêtement civil diffère Palla kombiniert, die einen dunkleren the style of clothing from these de l’habit militaire dans les coupes et Ton in derselben Farbe aufwies. Die häufigsten Farbkombinationen waren times and the archaeological finds les couleurs. Le civil porte une longue tunique et une toge décorée suivant le türkis, violett und rot mit weiß oder gelb. that would cast more light on these statut social. La difficulté de draper cette Die keltischen Frauen trugen dagegen “dark ages of fashion” are yet to be toge va entrainer son relatif abandon avec langärmelige Hemden, vermutlich aus discovered. le temps. Le militaire porte une tunique et weißem Leinentuch. Das Obergewand une cape fixée à l’épaule avec une fibule. bestand aus Wolle und wies zumeist eine rote Farbe auf. Kittel gehörte zu den Summary Les fibules, les épingles, les torques et geläufigsten Kleidungsstücken. Mehrere les autres accessoires vestimentaires Steindenkmäler zeigen auch spezielle La mode vestimentaire des celtes témoignent de la mixité des influences Kleidungsstücke, die in der jüngeren romanisés de Pannonie avec des décors inspirés des motifs europäischen Kleidung nicht mehr traditionnels celtes. Lors d’une exposition au Musée de nachweisbar sind, so z. B. ein langes Kleid l’Aquincum à Budapest de mai 2000 La connaissance des pratiques mit zwei Gürteln (Abb. 10 – 12). à octobre 2001 furent tentées des vestimentaires permet donc de discerner Römische Männer trugen normalerweise reconstitutions de la mode vestimentaire les cadres sociaux et également eine Tunika und einen Umhang; was die des populations celtes indigènes après l’interpénétration des pratiques romaines keltischen Männer trugen, wissen wir leur romanisation. Ceci fut fait à partir du des colons et des usages celtes des nicht. Kinder wurden üblicherweise wie peu de vestiges archéologiques retrouvés populations indigènes. die Erwachsenen gekleidet.

10 euroREA 4/2007