Paludamentum

In republican

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a republican form of government. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, c...

 and imperial

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...

 Rome

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

, the paludamentum was a cloak

Cloak

A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat—it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always...

 or cape

Cape

Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening about the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...

 fastened at one shoulder, worn by military commanders and (less often) by their troops. As supreme commander of the whole Roman army, Roman emperors were often portrayed wearing it in their statues (eg the Prima Porta Augustus) and on their coinage.

The paludamentum was generally crimson

Crimson

Crimson is a strong, bright, deep red color combined with some blue, resulting in a tiny degree of purple. It is originally the color of the dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now also used for slightly bluish-red colors in general that are between red and...

, scarlet

Scarlet (color)

Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel. It is redder than vermilion. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame. It may also refer to the color of the blood of a living person.The first recorded use of scarlet as a...

, or purple

Purple

Purple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...

 in colour, or sometimes white.

In republican

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a republican form of government. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, c...

 and imperial

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...

 Rome

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

, the paludamentum was a cloak

Cloak

A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat—it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always...

 or cape

Cape

Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening about the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...

 fastened at one shoulder, worn by military commanders and (less often) by their troops. As supreme commander of the whole Roman army, Roman emperors were often portrayed wearing it in their statues (eg the Prima Porta Augustus) and on their coinage.

The paludamentum was generally crimson

Crimson

Crimson is a strong, bright, deep red color combined with some blue, resulting in a tiny degree of purple. It is originally the color of the dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now also used for slightly bluish-red colors in general that are between red and...

, scarlet

Scarlet (color)

Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel. It is redder than vermilion. Traditionally, scarlet is the color of flame. It may also refer to the color of the blood of a living person.The first recorded use of scarlet as a...

, or purple

Purple

Purple is a general term used in English for the range of shades of color occurring between red and blue. In additive light combinations it occurs by mixing the primary colors red and blue in varying proportions...

 in colour, or sometimes white. It was fastened at the shoulder with a clasp, called a fibula, whose form and size varied through time. Putting on the paludamentum was a ceremonial act on setting out for war.