An abolla was a cloak-like garment worn by ancient Greeks and Romans. Nonius Marcellus quotes a passage of Varro to show that it was a garment worn by soldiers (vestis militaris), and thus opposed to the toga. Roman women also wore a version of the abolla by at least the Imperial Period. The abolla was, however, not confined to military occasions, but was also worn in the city. It was especially used by the Stoic philosophers at Rome as the pallium philosophicum, just as the Greek philosophers were accustomed to distinguish themselves by a particular dress. Hence, the expression of Juvenal facinus majoris abollae merely signifies, "a crime committed by a very deep philosopher". The term abolla is actually a Latinization of the Greek ambolla () or anabole (), for a loose woolen cloak. See also Pallium Paenula Clothing in ancient Rome References Other sources The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable External links Abolla (article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities) Military uniforms Academic dress Robes and cloaks Roman-era clothing Greek clothing