10-27-2003, 05:47 PM
Gaius Civilis,<br>
<br>
        Just to come to Jackie's defense, my question was a joke. Her reference in an earlier thread to "formal toga" brought forth her response and mine. There is no such thing as an informal toga, and Jackie knows it. Just as were no such things as "toga parties" in ancient Rome.<br>
       <br>
        But I have to disagree with some of your characterization. You said, 'you can't do anything useful in a toga;' the duties of citizenship, participation in the courts of law and the law making, engaging in business between patron and client are not useless enterprises. It was not only for special occasions, but for the everyday conduct of business and law. These things are the life blood and very character of Roma itself. The toga was not for barabarians; it inculcated discipline and character and manly strength to the citizen. These things are never useless; they just don't happen to be much frivilous fun (that was what the pallium was for). One thing that I have yet to put on the website, but is a favorite part of my presentations, is how easy it was for the togatus to contribute the ammoniua and urea of his kidneys into the buckets outside the fulloniæ. Hardly useless, and sometimes downright necessary as well as profitable.<br>
<br>
Wade Heaton<br>
Lucius Cornelius Libo<br>
[email protected] <br>
www.togaman.com <p></p><i></i>
<br>
        Just to come to Jackie's defense, my question was a joke. Her reference in an earlier thread to "formal toga" brought forth her response and mine. There is no such thing as an informal toga, and Jackie knows it. Just as were no such things as "toga parties" in ancient Rome.<br>
       <br>
        But I have to disagree with some of your characterization. You said, 'you can't do anything useful in a toga;' the duties of citizenship, participation in the courts of law and the law making, engaging in business between patron and client are not useless enterprises. It was not only for special occasions, but for the everyday conduct of business and law. These things are the life blood and very character of Roma itself. The toga was not for barabarians; it inculcated discipline and character and manly strength to the citizen. These things are never useless; they just don't happen to be much frivilous fun (that was what the pallium was for). One thing that I have yet to put on the website, but is a favorite part of my presentations, is how easy it was for the togatus to contribute the ammoniua and urea of his kidneys into the buckets outside the fulloniæ. Hardly useless, and sometimes downright necessary as well as profitable.<br>
<br>
Wade Heaton<br>
Lucius Cornelius Libo<br>
[email protected] <br>
www.togaman.com <p></p><i></i>
