Objective "This project will explore changes in the costume of the Roman emperor, his family and his court. My hypothesis is that we can track the development of an imperial wardrobe, which follows the gradual acceptance and consolidation of autocracy, from the plain woolen toga of the ideal princeps to the luxurious purple silks of the monarch. In terms of status representation, the early Roman emperors walked a tight rope between conforming to the supposed frugality and uniformity of their ancestors and being the rulers of the Roman world. For historical reasons they had to avoid allusions to monarchy and behave as ""first among equals"" in their interaction with their senatorial peers. Changes in status display through clothes therefore mirror, I argue, the changing perception of the position of the emperor within the social hierarchy. This project will cover the time from the first princeps, Augustus, to the emperor Honorius (1st century BCE-5th century CE). In particular it will focus on the representation of ""good"" vs. ""bad"" emperors as the discourses surrounding them are highly ideologically charged. This will help to define the turning point(s) when the discourses changed and permitted ""good"" emperors to wear precious clothes. This, I believe, indicates that the position of the emperor at the top of the social hierarchy was now openly acknowledged and their corresponding status representation considered appropriate. My aim is to highlight the continuities and breaks as well as the idiosyncrasies that occurred during this process. I will take into account written sources (literature, legal texts, inscriptions, papyri) as well as archaeological ones (textile finds and depictions of the emperors and their close relations, e. g. in form of statues, reliefs, coins, consular diptychs and mosaics). This project will shed new light on the political and institutional history of the Roman Empire through the study of imperial dress and representation." Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryengineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextileshumanitieslanguages and literatureliterature studieshistory of literaturesocial sciencespolitical sciencesgovernment systems Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) Coordinator KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET EU contribution € 308 587,80 Address NORREGADE 10 1165 Kobenhavn Denmark See on map Region Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Ivan Kristoffersen (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data