tunic lengths

[Carlton Bach]

While I was using the library at Yale University I looked at a copy of Lillian May Wilson's book "The Clothing of the Ancient Romans". She wrote about the "girt length of tunics" meaning the "belted" length. I wish I had written down the source of her citation, but here goes the gist of it:

For a civilian man, the front should extend to just below the knee, with the back reaching to the middle of the knee. Any longer than that is only fitting for a woman, and shorter is for a "centurion."

This is a rough paraphrase of her citation and I'm pretty certain she was quoting a Roman writer. I do distinctly remember the use of the specific word "centurion" rather than a more generic word like "soldier."

I think that was Quintilian, in which case the word 'centurion' makes perfect sense. We are talking upper-class dress advice here. However, there are depictions of Ropmans wearing their tunics longer than this, and while that may have been uncceptable for senators or lawyers, it seems to have been common enough for their equivalent of 'casual Friday'.