What did the ancient roman middle class wear?

Answer 1

The ancient Roman equivalent to the middle class was the equites, who are sometimes referred to as the "equestrian order". There clothing style was the same as everyones--the tunic and toga or cloak. The difference was in the quality of the fabrics of their clothing and in the expense of the dyes used on them.

The euqites cannot be compared to the modern middle class and the use of this term is inappropriate with reference to this order-note that the Romans used the term order, not class, their concepts were different from ours. The two classes are totally different and the social stratification of Rome was also completely different. The middle class sprung from the rise of capitalism, they were entrepreneurs and were strongly associated with the free market and with wage labour. Rome did not have capitalism, a truly free market or wage labour.

The equites were part of the Roman nobililes, the patrician-(rich) plebiean aristocracy . They were the second order of the city and the lower layer of the aristocracy. They considered themselves above the middling layers of Roman society. They were part of a tiny elite (under 10,000 at the height of the empire) that monopolised power (political, military and economic).

Equites meant knights. The origin of the order is from when Rome recruited more wealthy people to increase the size of the cavalry. They had exclusive rights to serve as senior army officers. The rank was hereditary, provided that their wealth remained within a (very high) property threshold.

Equite status was displayed through the right to wear the tunica angusticlavia (narrow-striped tunic) worn underneath the toga, with the stripe visible over the shoulder (the senators wore a wide stripe) and the gold ring (anulus aureus).

This does not sound like a middle class.