Revealed and Concealed: Carrying and the Sinus in Ancient Rome

This paper uses literary sources to investigate how Romans carried objects. Carrying took place openly, in purses, and in clothing, especially the sinus , a fold of cloth created by togas or tunics. While open carrying is portrayed as reinforcing social hierarchies, carrying things in the sinus esca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of philology 2023-10, Vol.144 (3), p.379-414
Main Author: Kutner, Melissa Bailey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Political history
Roman civilization
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This paper uses literary sources to investigate how Romans carried objects. Carrying took place openly, in purses, and in clothing, especially the sinus , a fold of cloth created by togas or tunics. While open carrying is portrayed as reinforcing social hierarchies, carrying things in the sinus escaped hierarchies and was closely associated with the individual: with intimacy, character, and the ability to take potentially disruptive action (since people could retrieve objects from it unexpectedly in front of others). References to the latter cluster in the imperial period and center on men’s political power and their potential vulnerability to women.
ISSN:0002-9475
1086-3168
1086-3168
DOI:10.1353/ajp.2023.a922567