Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a balanced view of the merits and drawbacks of studying clothing from both written and visual evidence. Finds of remnants of cloth and clothing as well as discoveries of dyeing, fulling, textile production equipment, and implements mean that 'a more elaborate picture of the Roman clothing and textile industry is developing'. Studies of men and masculinity to date have been most abundant in the social sciences, and usually concentrate on contemporary Western society; 'disciplines concerned with past societies have to date rarely focused on men as men'. This is changing as masculinity becomes an important and stimulating field of inquiry for scholars working in ancient Roman cultural and gender studies. The book ends with some conclusions about appearance, sexuality, and masculinity in Roman antiquity.