In the Roman world, clothing was far more than a practical necessity—it was a powerful symbol of status, wealth, and identity that spoke volumes about the wearer. Although fabric itself rarely survives the passage of time, archaeology offers tantalizing clues about how these garments were made and what they meant.
Artefacts in The Roman Baths collection such as spindle whorls (pictured) which were small, weighted tools used in spinning, loom weights (for keeping threads taught on a loom), and needles can give us some insight into how yarn was spun and cloth was weaved, and the people who made them.
In Roman homes, it was often women who undertook spinning and weaving as part of their daily chores. Weaving was a slow and painstaking process, especially when producing garments as grand as the Roman toga. These iconic robes were crafted from a single piece of cloth, often measuring up to 6 feet wide and 12 feet long.
Colour also played a crucial role in Roman textile production. Natural dyes were commonly used: the madder plant produced red, weld created yellow, and woad dyed cloth a rich blue. These dyes were relatively affordable and widely available but purple dye, known as Tyrian or Phoenician purple, was the most luxurious of all as it was extracted from the mucous of tiny Murex sea snails. It took thousands of snails to produce enough dye to trim a single garment, making it prohibitively expensive. As a result, purple became the colour of emperors—a regal association that endures to this day.
Follow a spider-themed trail throughout The Roman Baths this autumn and discover an ancient weaving myth.
