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- Posted July 14, 2008 at 8:09 am
The toga was based on a formal dress robe used by the Etruscans, even though it is usually linked with the Romans. The toga was the dress clothing of the Romans; a thick woollen cloak worn over a loincloth or apron. Established around the time of Numa Pompillius, the second King of Rome. It was taken off indoors, or when hard at work in the fields, but it was the only decent attire out-of-doors. (We learn this from the story of Cincinnatus: he was ploughing in his field when the messengers of the Senate came to tell him that he had been made dictator, and on seeing them he sent his wife to fetch his toga from the house so that they could be received appropriately. The truth of the story may be doubtful, but it nevertheless expresses the Roman sentiment on the subject.)
As time went on, dress styles changed. Romans adopted the shirt (tunica, or in Greek chiton) which the Greeks and Etruscans wore, made the toga more bulky, and wore it in a looser manner. The result was that it became useless for active pursuits, such as those of war. Thus, its place was taken by the handier sagum (woolen cloak) on all military occasions.In times of peace, too, the toga was eventually superseded by the laena, lacerna, paenula, and other forms of buttoned or closed cloaks. However, the toga did remain the court dress of the Empire.
Source: Wikipedia
