Palla (garment) explained

The palla was an elegant cloak or mantle that was wrapped around the body. It was worn outside the house by (affluent) Roman women. It was a luxurious version of the Roman women's pallium.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} The palla was a traditional ancient Roman mantle worn by women, fastened by brooches. The shape was rectangular instead of semi-circular, as with the traditional toga.^[5] The garment dates to the 3rd century BC,^[6] but the type of dress must be much older. In Latin literature, the term palla is used ambiguously.^[7] It can denote not only a cloak, but also a foot-length sleeveless dress with straps (or a brooch) worn directly on the skin. The second is a common dress form in the entire Mediterranean world. In a Greek cultural context, this is called peplos. In a Roman cultural context, if worn by a Roman matron, it also takes the name stola.

See also

• Clothing in ancient Rome

Sources

• Radicke, Jan (2022). Roman Women’s Dress. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Notes and References

1. Book: Radicke, Jan . palla . De Gruyter . 2022 . 978-3-11-071155-4 . Berlin . en . 10.1515/9783110711554-019.
2. Book: Wilson, L. M. . The Clothing of the Ancient Romans . Johns Hopkins Press . 1938 . 148–150.
3. Book: Scholz, Birgit Ingrid . Untersuchungen zur Tracht der römischen matrona . Böhlau . 1992 . 3-412-01491-5 . Cologne . 100–106 . 27443395.
4. Book: Cleland, Liza . Greek and Roman dress from A to Z . Davies . Glenys . Llewellyn-Jones . Lloyd . Routledge . Glenys Davies, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones . 2007 . 978-0-415-22661-5 . London . 136–137 . 122309175.
5. Book: James. Sharon L.. A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. Dillon. Sheila. 2015-06-15. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1-119-02554-2. 485. en.
6. Book: Encyclopedia Britannica. 1970. Encyclopedia Britannica, Incorporated. 681. en.
7. Book: Radicke, Jan . palla . De Gruyter . 2022 . 978-3-11-071155-4 . Berlin . 292–297 . 10.1515/9783110711554-019.