Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Paludamentum

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

PALUDAMEN'TUM. A military cloak worn by generals and superior officers over their armour (Isidor. Orig. xix. 24. 9. Apul. Apol. p. 441.), as the sagum was by the common soldier, from which it mainly differs in being larger, of finer texture, and richer colour, either a brilliant white, scarlet, or purple. (Val. Max. i. 6. 11. Isidor. l. c.) On the other hand, it was not so large as the Greek pallium, for in all the numerous instances where it occurs on the triumphal arches and columns, it is never thrown over the shoulder, nor round the figure; that is, it is always an ἐπίβλημα, never an ἀναβολή, nor a περίβλημα; being only worn as a pendant mantle, in the manner shown by the annexed example (Paludamentum/1.1), representing the emperor Trajan, from the column which bears his name. It was fastened by a brooch (fibula) upon the shoulder; and though somewhat larger, was cut out in the same shape as the Greek chlamys (Non. s. v. p. 538.); whence the later Greek writers translate the Latin word paludamentum by that term. Dio. lx. 30. compared with Plin. H. N. xxxiii. 19.

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  Paludamentum/1.1