15. For young, wealthy males of Ancient Rome, getting a ‘man’s toga’ was the first one of life’s true milestones
In Ancient Rome, getting a plain white toga was a big deal. The Toga virilis (quite literally ‘the toga of manhood’) was given to a boy at around the age of 12 or 13. However, it was reserved for freeborn males, not slaves. As boys, young Roman citizens would don the toga praetexta, with purple stripes adorning the plain white cloth. Only when a boy became a man would he be able to ditch those stripes. Once he got his Toga virilis, a free young man would enjoy all the rights that came with adult male citizenship of Rome, though he would assume the responsibilities that came with the privilege as well.
Perhaps the most famous reference to the togas of boys and men can be found in the accounts of Julius Caesar’s private life. According to the ancient sources, the future leader married his first wife Cossutia before he had even assumed the toga of manhood. As soon as the young Caesar was permitted to wear his Toga virilis, he ditched his spouse. No reason was given for the divorce, though it was almost certainly done for political reasons. After that, Cossutia disappears from the records for good. Caesar, meanwhile, made full use of the advantages that came with the adult toga and set off on his pursuit of total power.