11. Marcus Antonius, as portrayed by Richard Burton, was a main star in an award-winning movie of the 1960s, which was also a good example of the kind of clothing worn by people during the days of the Roman Empire. What movie was this?
From Quiz Changing Face of Fashion Through Time
Answer:
Cleopatra
This movie told the story of the dying days of the great kingdom of Egypt as represented by its queen, Cleopatra. It featured a large and impressive cast. The three main ones however were Richard Burton as a Roman General Mark Anthony (Cleopatra's lover); Rex Harrison as the great Julius Caesar (another lover before Mr Anthony); and the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra herself, the queen who was trying to cement her power and stabilise her kingdom. It had a tragic ending as we all know, with all three main protagonists destroyed, Egypt on the decline, and Rome with only a few hundred years left of its glory.
Both men and women wore togas as everyday clothing during the days of ancient Rome, and they wore them right up until the second century AD. After that, only men, and ladies of the night, wore the toga, while upper class women opted for more covering and fuller outfits. The distinction between the various classes of Roman society was reflected in the material and colours used to make the garment. An upper class man's toga would be made from finely woven wool of good quality, while someone from the lower classes would have a toga made out of coarse cheaper materials. Colours featured on togas represented position as well. Magistrates displayed a purple border on their garment, while the border of a general's toga was gold. Emperors of course wore the full purple. If any great celebration was underway, a red border on all togas marked the occasion.
Hardly any first hand accounts written about ancient Rome have survived. One such was "Ab Urbe Condita" by the Roman historian Titus Livius. This comprised 124 volumes, only 35 of which still exist. They cover most facets of Roman history and life from its beginnings to his own time period 59 BC to 17 AD. Most of our knowledge of the clothing worn in ancient Rome comes from historical research, and perhaps even the few statues remaining from that period of history. The movie "Cleopatra" helps to bring it all to life a little more.