FAO AB

Funnily enough, not only do I not know the Latin for pants, but I have a feeling that we don't even know whether the Romans generally/habitually WORE pants.

I can recall some examples of a word (which I can't remember) usually translated as "loincloth" but it is rare and it usually appears in specific contexts (like actors or temple servants in rituals). And there's a famous mosaic showing some topless girls on a beach in what look for all the world like bikini pants. But I don't think we know what (if anything) was "normal" wear, and there may well have been different customs for different social classes (toga wearers being less likely to wear anything underneath).

In the Vindolanda letters there's one which mentions socks and there are some examples of Roman socks in the museums there, but I don't think there are any examples of pants!

Posted By: Old Git, Oct 3, 12:01:33