Roman Braccae, while a staple in Roman Legionary reenactment and living history, have been a highly speculative item for some time. This is mostly due to the fact that they are usually only seen in contemporary artwork, and from the thigh down, which leaves a lot to the imagination. Their construction has been shrouded in mystery for as long as we have known of their existence, with many theories and iterations on how they were made and worn being put forth. The most common version of the trousers seen at the current time is a simple style with two legs and a single seam running up the center of the crotch and back and a drawstring waist, however, we have little archaeological evidence to support this style. Without any trouser examples readily identifiable as Roman, it is my theory that we should look to their Northern neighbors, such as the Germans, Celts, and Gauls. We know all of the latter three groups wore trousers regularly, as is noted not only in contemporary Roman literature, but in various works of art, depicting men wearing trousers which varied in length from above the knee to full ankle-length, and in a stunning variety of fashions. These trousers usually appear to also vary in cut, from very slim and tight-fitting, to slightly relaxed. They almost always appear to have large, sweeping seams running in a trapezoidal fashion from the crotch to the waist and bear rolled-down waistlines. Such latter fashion falls in line nearly directly with extant Germanic finds such as the Marx-Etzel breeches and Daetgen trousers, both of which feature trapezoidal gores in the crotch and simple waistlines meant to be rolled down. This style gives the male wearer a great deal of comfort and support in certain regions, and was a fashion which appears to have stayed in use in some form or another well until the Early Medieval Period, as is evidenced of trouser finds dated to the 10th Century from the Danish (now German) settlement of Haithabu which emulate the much earlier Thorsberg trousers. With this information in mind, it is very likely that the Romans adopted this style from their Germanic and Celtic neighbors, rather than developed their own style of trousers, with the examples showing Roman Braccae were calf-length (just like Germanic depictions on the Gundestrup Cauldron and the extant Daetgen trousers) further adding to this theory. It is likely the Romans saw the comfort and utility in this fashion and rapidly adapted it to their own use. This means the Braccae as used by Romans would have been calf-length, somewhat fitted through the thighs and knees, feature a trapezoidal gore in the front, and simple hemmed waistline which was worn rolled down. Now, this style, in keeping in line with the Marx-Etzel finds, means that to be made, the trousers are made from a single piece of fabric, and their width is determined by the wearer's widest thigh measurements with several inches (or centimeters) added for the bottom of the crotch gore. This means the waist is often unnatural massive, however, don't fret, there is a very useful technique and method to wearing these that even the smallest of us can do! The latter is the initial intent of this article - to lay out the how-to's of wearing this style of Roman Braccae (and in essence, Germanic and Celtic trousers, as well). As more reenactors and living historians begin to shift away from the drawstring model of trousers, and toward something based more in historical evidence, these instructions will prove invaluable to their efforts and to the community! Step 1: Pull the trousers up. To start, pull your trousers up and pull the waist out to the sides until it's flat against your body and tight. For this how-to, I'm using a simple linen belt, mostly for visibility, however, and soft leather or textile belt will work for these trousers - anything that will allow the waistband to roll! Step 2: Tie the belt to the front. After the trousers are up and pulled tight, tie your belt around your true waist. When you do this, make sure you have the front of the trousers underneath this so it will hold them in place while you do the rest. Make sure to tie the belt tight enough to hold the trousers in place, but not so tight that it doesn't allow you to tuck, fold, or roll any of the fabric. You will get better at gauging this with time! Step 3: Pull everything up through the belt. Now that your belt is on, pull all of the excess waist fabric up through the belt in the front and back. Do this until the crotch and back are fitted (but not too tight) to your liking. There should be a good deal of fabric hanging over the belt at this point. Step 4: Fold in excess waist. Now, you at this point you will notice a lot of excess fabric around your waist. Pull it back up straight, and then fold and smooth it on either side, front to back, keeping it underneath the belt. Be sure to do it evenly on both sides or this will result in these not being very comfortable! Make a nice, neat fold under the belt and just start smoothing it toward your back until the waist is now snug against your body. Step 5: Roll the waist. Now that all that's done, all there is left to do now is roll the waist! Start at the top, and just roll the waist down into itself until it won't roll any further. I usually smooth it out, as well, during this process to it doesn't create a hard "bum roll" which is visible through to the outside of your clothing, and it also won't dig into your hips as badly with a leather belt and weapon on your side. And like that, you're done! Five easy steps to more authentic Roman Braccae! Braccae such as these are not only more comfortable due to seam placement, but they are more cost-effective to make in their overall construction design, which is a likely indicator to their widespread use throughout the Empire by its peak. Hopefully this will shed better light on a hotly-debated topic and drive folks toward a more authentic Roman interpretation!
5 Comments
Howard Bailey
8/22/2020 02:40:42 pm
This is fantastic. Do you have any clear instructions for constructing these?
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Caleb Burch
8/23/2020 08:25:49 am
Hello! I don't have a set pattern on these, the overall construction is based off the Marx-Etzel trousers, however, I make these on commissions, so every piece is different based on the wearer's measurements.
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Sheila
4/29/2023 07:08:02 pm
Hello Caleb,
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C. Burch
4/29/2023 08:30:59 pm
There is no evidence any sort of fly or other mechanism was used on trousers or their future iterations until at least the advent of codpieces on joined hosen by the end of the 14th Century.
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Sebastianus
11/5/2023 08:48:08 am
Hi,
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