The reiteration of certain classical canons was the key that inspired every kind of creation in the ancient world. In Roman clothing, both if it was sublime or trivial, such canons were the keynote for three or four basic garments, which were hardly modified over the years and scarcely differed according to the sex of their bearers. José Manuel Rodríguez Peregrina, teacher of the department of Latin Studies of the University of Granada is the author of this study, published in the book: “In Greece and Rome: people and things”; Professors Andrés Pociña and Jesús María García are the persons in charge of the edition. The book, jointly published by the University of Granada and the Spanish Society of Classical Studies, consists of different studies relating to poetry, mysticism, phylosophy, athletes, doctors, prostitutes, musicians, games, teachers, literature, comedy, los homosexuals and fashion, the case under discussion. These works have been carried out by reknown experts and teachers and were expounded in the homonymous course “In Greece and Rome:people and things”, which took place in Granada sponsored by the Spanish Society of Classical Studies.
According to Professor Rodríguez Peregrina, suggesting a run through fashion in classical Rome may seem a contradiction and an anachronism, as fashion, as we know it today, is a recent phenomenon that meets the needs and expectations -real or induced—of men and women.
However, according to the author of the study, “once we consider the relative pertinence of applying the term fashion to the world of Roman personal clothing, we could establish a certain parallelism between the social role clothes played in the ancient world and the definitive importance granted nowadays to physical appearance as a letter of introduction to society. What I mean –Professor Rodríguez Peregrina says—is that although the historical gap between us and ancient Romans makes it difficult to compare our attitude to our personal appearance and to that of Romans, the sophisticated world of appearances already existed, in certain aspects, with parameters surprisingly close to ours.”
Reference:
Professor José Manuel Rodríguez Peregrina
Dpt.: Latin Studies. University of Granada
Phone number: 958 243686.
E-mail: joseman@platon.ugr.es
