Facts about winter clothes of Ancient Rome

Can you imagine the Romans in winter clothing? Probably not, because in the films they appear in tunics and sandals. But delving into history, it is worth remembering that after all, the Roman legions conquered Gaul, part of Germany and Britain. You can't walk there in a tunic in winter. Obviously, they had to adapt and accumulate layers of clothing to survive.

What clothing was available then?

The first thing that comes to mind is raincoats. The Romans called them 'paenula' and 'sagum', the first of which were large, heavy, and warm. They also had hoods and allowed the heat-loving Romans to survive merciless winters and conquer new worlds. Under their cloaks, the warriors wore the so-called subpaenuli. Simply put, it is a water-resistant protection undercover with animal wax. They probably didn't smell very good, but they were probably warm.

If everything is clear with the body, then how did you protect your feet from frostbite? With socks, of course. Then they were called udones and were made in two ways: stitching pieces of fabric and crocheting. Proof of socks existence have been found in Gaul and even in Egypt.

In addition to the socks, the legs also protected rectangular pieces of fabric which were wrapped around the legs and tied with a ribbon of fabric. Interestingly, Roman leg bindings are very similar to the putty worn by soldiers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

And of course the pants! Pants? Yes, you heard right, the Romans wore pants. Considering trousers a sign of barbarism, the Romans probably valued health and warmth above principles. The earliest evidence of this relates to the period of the Dacian Wars, that is, at the beginning of the 2nd century A.D.

Thus, the Romans were well prepared to enter the lands of Germany and Britain, and pants and cloaks became more preferable in the field than tunics and sandals.