TUNICA. - Term derived from the Indo-European root *tun-*, meaning “to cover, bind, or fasten”; diminutives: *tunicula*, *tunicella*; Italian: *tonaca*. Corresponding to the Greek *χιτών*, it was an undergarment worn by both men and women in ancient Rome, used at home and beneath the *toga* or *palla* in public. In togate statues, the tunic is visible beneath the toga, covering the chest up to the neck. It was the only garment that was pulled on over the head.
Most tunics were made of linen fabric (*vestis linea* or *liutea*), but for the sick and in winter, wool was also used (*tunica lanata*). Augustus, due to his frail health, often wore a woolen tunic, and according to Suetonius, in severe cold, he would wear up to four at once. Typically, two tunics were worn: the one next to the skin was called the *tunica interior*, *interula*, or *subucula*; over this was worn the second, called the *indusium* or *supparus*. Senators and members of the *ordo senatorius* wore, as part of their official attire along with the *toga praetexta*, a tunic distinguished by a broad purple stripe (*laticlavius*) running from the neck to the hem. Members of the *ordo equestris* wore one or two narrower stripes (*angusticlavius*). The tunic could be belted at the waist (*tunica praecincta*) or worn loose (*tunica discincta* or *soluta*). Wearing it well-belted was a mark of distinction; Maecenas was criticized for walking about at night in a loose tunic (Seneca, *Ep.* 114). Wearing only the tunic was characteristic of the lower classes (Horace’s *tunicatus popellus*); outside the city, in the countryside, even persons of high rank might, for greater comfort, lay aside the toga and go about in only the tunic (*tunica quies*, Martial). Laborers, shepherds, and slaves wore a sleeveless work tunic (*tunica exomis*), secured by a belt, leaving the shoulders and chest bare; this allowed greater freedom of movement and, according to Seneca (*De brevitate vitae*, XIII), made slaves more obedient to their masters. The military tunic was shorter than the civilian version and worn beneath the *sagum*. In the third century of the Empire, as luxury increased, tunics woven with purple and gold became high fashion, though they were uncomfortable due to their stiffness and harshness, like hairshirts.
The tunic was the most common garment among Christians, many of whom belonged to the lower classes. The one-piece, seamless tunic (*inconsutilis*) was what the Savior wore on His way to Calvary. The Good Shepherd is depicted wearing only a short, belted tunic (v. *pastore, buon*). In catacomb paintings, tunics are shown with sleeves ending at the elbows, reaching to the knees for men and somewhat longer for women (v. *orante*), plain or adorned with purple stripes from neck to waist (*tunica clavata*). Another type, very short and sleeveless, was the *colobium* (Gk. *κολόβιον*, cf. *κολόβος* = mutilated, shortened); with this garment, the earliest images of Christ crucified are depicted. A long tunic reaching to the feet (*tunica poderis*; Gk. *στοιχάριον*), in the Eastern style and of pure white (*alba*), became an ecclesiastical garment, from which the liturgical *comice* derives; its modifications include the *rocchetto* and the *cotta*.