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Chapter 1 - Of Gold and Purple: Nobles in Western Han China and Republican Rome

from Part I - Authority and Lifestyles of Distinction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2021

By
Griet Vankeerberghen
Edited by
Hans Beck  and
Griet Vankeerberghen
Hans Beck
Affiliation:
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany
Griet Vankeerberghen
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
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Summary

Imagine the following scenes. In Chang’an, capital of Western Han, a noble was in his coach-and-four, exiting the gate of his residence directly onto the avenue that would lead him to the Weiyang Palace. A gold seal was attached to his belt by means of a purple ribbon, and he wore a cap with three bridges.1 In Rome, another noble was making his way from his home on the Palatine Hill to the forum. He was clothed in a tunic with a broad purple stripe, the so-called latus clavus, wore a particular pair of shoes, and had a gold ring on his finger, all of which indicated his social status.

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Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China , pp. 25 - 69
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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