When we think of ancient Rome, we often think of the toga, generally depicted as a flowing white garment arranged in folds around the body and typically worn over a tunic by senators, philosophers, and citizens in grand marble forums. It’s an image that has persisted for thousands of years and has been reinforced in mythology and history. In the epic poem “Aeneid,” the Roman poet Virgil refers to Romans as “masters of the world, and people of the toga.” And in Roman folklore, Romulus — the founder of Rome — is depicted wearing a toga.

To ancient Romans, the toga represented a symbol of citizenship, status, and identity — and not everyone was entitled to wear it. The evolution of the garment spans centuries and came to symbolize Roman culture and values. As Rome changed, so did its fashion, but the toga remains a lasting image of a civilization that shaped the Western world.

Romans Weren’t the First To Wear Togas

While the toga is quintessentially Roman, similar garments existed in other ancient cultures. The Greeks wore the himation, a large rectangular cloth draped over the body like a cloak. While less structured than the toga, it also served as a marker of status and decorum. The Etruscans, another ancient Italian society whose culture greatly influenced the Romans, wore the tebenna, a garment resembling the toga that didn’t carry any particular symbolic associations.

What set the Roman toga apart was its evolution into a distinctly Roman symbol. The toga became a visual marker of Roman citizenship, distinguishing Romans from the diverse peoples they ruled, and remained a symbol of Rome long after it fell out of fashion. Roman dress borrowed and incorporated elements from other cultures in the empire, resulting in a variety of toga styles and colors over the centuries that reflected the diversity of the Roman Empire.

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Not Everyone Wore the Toga

Despite its iconic status, the toga wasn’t everyday wear for most Romans. In the early days of the Roman Empire, both men and women of all classes wore the toga. But after the second century BCE, the toga became a garment exclusively worn by male citizens of Rome, with the notable exceptions of prostitutes and women divorced for adultery, who wore the toga as a symbol of their disgrace. Most Roman women replaced the toga with the stola, a long, modest dress worn over their tunic.

Wealthy patricians, senators, and officials wore togas to signify authority and respectability, and how it was worn was as much a mark of distinction as the toga itself. Because of the complex folds and cumbersome bulk of the material, which often required assistance to arrange properly, ordinary citizens typically only wore the toga for special occasions such as public ceremonies, religious events, or legal proceedings. Enslaved individuals, Roman exiles, and noncitizens were prohibited from wearing the toga — and wearing one in order to claim citizenship was punishable under Roman law.

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Togas Came in Different Colors and Styles

While many Roman togas were indeed white, symbolizing simplicity and moral virtue, other colors and embellishments denoted specific roles and ranks. The toga’s variations of color, style, and occasion for wearing served as a visual language, communicating the wearer’s status or societal role. For example, the toga praetexta worn by magistrates and young boys of noble birth featured a purple stripe along the edge — a color associated with royalty and divine favor. The toga picta, worn by  emperors for special occasions, magistrates during public gladiatorial games, and generals celebrating triumphs, was embroidered with gold and often dyed a deep purple to symbolize imperial authority.

Some togas were only suitable to wear during certain events. In periods of mourning, Roman citizens would don the toga pulla, a dark, somber version of the garment. There was also a specific type of toga called the toga virilis, or “toga of manhood,” which teenage boys wore during a coming-of-age ceremony, marking their transition from childhood to adulthood and their acceptance as full members of Roman society. And candidates for public office wore the toga candida, a bright white version treated with chalk to symbolize their purity and integrity.

The Decline of the Toga

The toga was the traditional garment of the Roman people for centuries, but it started to fall out of favor in the late first century BCE. In a bid to reestablish the ancient values and customs of Rome, the Emperor Augustus required all Roman citizens who conducted business in the forum to wear a toga to distinguish themselves from noncitizens. Despite his efforts, the toga’s prominence as a standard of dress continued to wane. Over time, the complexity and sheer impracticality of wearing a toga made it less common, a relic of a different era that was replaced by simpler and more functional attire.

Even the wealthy elite, who had enslaved people to help them manage the complex folds of the toga, gradually replaced the toga with simpler and more comfortable clothing such as the pallium and lacerna, cloaklike garments that allowed for greater freedom of movement. The toga was eventually limited to ceremonial use, surviving mainly in official contexts before fading out altogether by the end of the Roman Empire.

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