Laticlave

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In Classic garb, the laticlave or clavus was a broad purple stripe on the front of the tunic, worn by Roman senators as a symbol of office.

History

The laticlave was a distinctive badge of the senatorian order, and was used to signify senatorial dignity. The purple stripe was woven into the tunic, which accounts for the fact that the clavus is never represented in works of sculpture. It only occurs in paintings, and only those of late period Rome.