Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Bracatus

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

BRACA'TUS or BRACCA'TUS. In general, a person who wears trowsers or pantaloons; more especially intended to characterise the Asiatic or northern races (Cic. Fam. ix. 15. Pers. Sat. iii. 53.), as distinguished from the Greeks, by whom they were never worn; and from the Romans, by whom they were only adopted at a late period of the Empire, or by persons who affected a foreign style. Tac. Hist. ii. 20.

2. Bracatus totum corpus, breeched from head to foot. An expression intended to describe a peculiar sort of costume commonly worn by the races who inhabited the shores of the Palus Maeotis (Mela, ii. 1.), and often seen on the figures of Amazons on the Greek fictile vases, from one of which the illustration (Bracatus/2.1) here introduced is taken. It was a dress which formed a pair of pantaloons below, and a sort of waistcoat or jacket above; but was made all in one length, as the phrase indicates, and as is clearly shown by a figure in Winkelmann (Mon. Ined. No. 149.), which leaves exposed the portion here concealed by the kilt.

3. Bracatus miles. A trowsered soldier; which means, when the phrase is used with reference to the republican or early Imperial period, a foreign soldier or auxiliary (Propert. iii. 4. 17.) from any of the nations who wore long trowsers as their national costume (see the cut of bracae 2. and many other examples on the Column of Trajan); but from the days of Alexander Severus, and subsequently, these articles of apparel were also adopted by the Roman soldiers (Lamprid. Alex. Sev. 40.), and may be seen on those figures of the arch of Constantine, which were executed at the period when the arch was built, and not taken from the works of Trajan, one of which is here introduced (Bracatus/3.1); consequently, in any writings of this period the phrase is equally characteristic of the Romans themselves.

4. Bracata Gallia. A department of Gaul, so called from the long breeches or trowsers worn by its inhabitants. It was subsequently termed Gallia Narbonensis. Mela, ii. 59. Plin. H. N. iii. 5.

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  Bracatus/2.1
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  Bracatus/3.1