The Fullers of Ancient Rome - World History Encyclopedia

The Fullers of Ancient Rome<br>Joshua J. Mark<br>The fullers of ancient Rome were launderers who washed the clothes of the city and also finished processing fabric later made into clothing, blankets, or other necessary items. They were looked down...<br>1626253550

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The Fullers of Ancient Rome

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The fullers of ancient Rome were launderers who washed the clothes of the city and also finished processing fabric later made into clothing, blankets, or other necessary items. They were looked down upon for their use of human and animal urine as a detergent but were among the most successful and highly-paid workers in the city.

The Fullonica of Stephanus in Pompeii<br>Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA)

The occupation of fuller had a long history, dating back to Mesopotamia long before c. 1600 BCE when it is famously referenced in the Sumerian comedy At the Cleaners. The occupation was among the most essential in Egypt, held the same importance in Greece, and is mentioned in the Bible where, among other references, fullers are cited in the Transfiguration of Jesus in Mark 9:3 when his robes become a dazzling white "as no fuller on earth can white them." This line references one of the fullers’ primary responsibilities – cleaning clothes – and to get them as bright as possible they used urine as a natural bleaching agent.

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The fullers' near-obsession with gathering as much urine as possible associated them with waste & filth far more than cleanliness.

Urine was collected from public restrooms and the fullers' near-obsession with gathering as much as possible associated them with waste and filth far more than cleanliness. The urine was poured into a vat with the clothing and the fullers (or their slaves) would tread on the cloth, agitating it the way a modern-day washing machine does, to remove stains and odors. This profession continued, operating in the same way with the same cleaning agents, for hundreds of years after the fall of the Roman Empire and up into the modern age when soap replaced urine. Present-day professional launderers carry on the ancient tradition which is among the oldest in the world.

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Roman Clothing & Laundry

The upper-class Romans were well aware of how clothes reflect one’s status and were careful to cultivate an impressive public image. Even their house-slaves and servants were well dressed and, it seems, the lower classes were equally aware of the importance of looking one’s best outside the home. Roman clothing is thought to have developed from ancient Greek clothing, which allowed for the creation of multiple outfits using one garment that could be arranged differently on the body.

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As in Greece, Roman clothing was unisex, and children simply wore smaller versions of adult outfits (usually just a tunic for both boys and girls). The basic garments were:

Underwear – loincloths for men and women and a breastband like the Greek strophion for women, a cloth which supported the breasts and tied at the back.

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Bikini Mosaic<br>Roundtheworld (CC BY-SA)

Tunics – knee-length sleeveless garments secured at the shoulders by brooches (or sewn) and at the waist by a belt of leather or cloth. Some tunics were floor-length and long-sleeved, but most were cut short to allow greater freedom of movement. The basic white tunic would be dyed to indicate one’s status or occupation, just as with the toga, and members of sports teams would have their tunics all dyed the same color (as would some of their fans). Some styles of tunic, with longer sleeves and varying necklines, were favored by male and female prostitutes who might also have them dyed to attract more attention.

Trousers – usually only worn by soldiers, especially cavalry, and gladiators

Togas – the well-known outer garment of the upper-class Roman, usually associated with men but also worn by women. The toga was worn over a tunic or on its own. Scholars Lesley and Roy A. Adkins comment:

The toga was an expensive, heavy garment of fine natural white wool, and required frequent cleaning by the fuller. It was roughly semicircular in shape, about 5.5 m (18 ft) wide and 2.1 (7 ft) deep. It had to be draped in a complicated manner around the body, and several emperors had to issue decrees to enforce its use on public occasions [because it was such a bother]…The toga showed differences in the social order. The toga praetexta (bordered toga) had a purple stripe and was worn by magistrates. (344)

Other togas had different colored stripes signifying the social status of the wearer. An upper-class single woman would have worn a tunic until puberty when she was expected to put away all things associated with childhood and become a woman. At this time, she would have...