Focale

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Focalia worn by cavalry troopers and some infantry on a panel from Trajan's Column

The focale (plural focalia), also known as a sudarium ("sweat cloth"),

relief sculpture on the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum[5] and Trajan's Column.[6] It is shown loosely knotted in the front, but is sometimes visible with the ends tucked inside the cuirass.[1]

Focale on a Roman military reenactor

In Latin literature, focale is a general word for a scarf or wrapping for the throat.[7] A focale was one of the gifts that might be given for the December festival of Saturnalia, according to Martial.[8] In one of his satires, Horace lists focalia among the "badges of illness" (insignia morbi).[9] In describing the correct attire for public speaking, Quintilian advises against wearing a focale, unless required by poor health.[10]

Although a sudarium often is used as a

papyrus (dated 350–450 AD) listing military clothes.[14] From the sudarium derives the name of the Near Eastern sudra, a similar piece of cloth with various functions over time.[15]

The focale is sometimes seen as one of the precursors of the

Ravenna mosaics.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Jason R. Abdal, Four Days in September: The Battle of Teutoburg (Trafford, 2013), pp. 166-167.
  2. ^ Nic Fields, The Roman Army of the Principate 27 BC-AD 117 (Osprey, 2009), p. 25.
  3. ISBN 978-1-134-58916-6
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-4408-2908-6
    .
  5. ^ Richard Brilliant, "The Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum," Memoirs of the American Academy 29 (1967), pp. 139, 142, 155, 156, 158, 184, 186, 190, 197, 203, 210.
  6. ^ John Hungerford Pollen, A Description of the Trajan Column (London, 1874), p. 111.
  7. ^ Antoine Mongez, "Recherches sur les habillemens des anciens," Histoire et mémoires de l'Institute Royal de France 4 (1818), pp. 295–295.
  8. ^ Martial 14.137 (142).
  9. ^ Horace, Satires 2.8.255; article on "Dress," A Concise Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, edited by F. Warre Cornish (London, 1898), p. 259.
  10. Legwarmers (fascias quibus crura vestiuntur) and earmuffs
    (aurium ligamenta) are likewise to be avoided.
  11. ^ Mongez, "Recherches sur les habillemens des anciens," p. 295.
  12. ^ Suetonius, Nero 51; Mongez, "Recherches sur les habillemens des anciens," p. 295.
  13. ISBN 978-1-4738-1189-8
    .
  14. Jan Bremmer
    , "An Imperial Palace Guard in Heaven: The Date of the Vision of Dorotheus," Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 75 (1988), p. 86.
  15. S2CID 239370393
    .
  16. ^ Daniel K. Hall, How to Tie a Tie: Choosing, Coordinating, and Knotting Your Neckwear (Sterling, 2008), p. 8.
  17. ^ Oscar Lenius, The Well-Dressed Gentleman (LIT Verlag Münster, 2010), p. 93.
  18. ^ Charles Panati, Sacred Origins of Profound Things (Arkana, 1996), n.p.; Mongez, "Recherches sur les habillemens des anciens," p. 296.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Focale&oldid=1184004645"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Focale. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy