strophium

The strophium was a band which confined the breasts and restrained the exuberance of their growth.

The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus 1855

As a titillated male reader visualising Catullus' Ariadne, I was inclined to suppose that the passage implied women's underwear: the movement, from less intimate to more intimate, is headdress - dress - bra - "everything" (omnia), and I took this as a gracefully teasing way of implying a garment more intimate than the bra (strophium)...

What did the Romans wear under their togas? 2006

The last line appears to indicate the use of a linen band, as the Roman ladies used the _strophium_, a broad ribbon tied round the breast as a support.

Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, November, 1878 of Popular Literature and Science Various

Becker thinks that the “strophium” was different from the “fascia” or “stomacher,” mentioned in the

The Comedies of Terence Literally Translated into English Prose, with Notes Terence 1847

His hair, slightly curled, floats in long ringlets round his neck, or is gracefully turned up on the crown of his head, which is encircled by the _strophium_, or fillet, characteristic of kings and gods.

Paris as It Was and as It Is Francis W. Blagdon 1798

Despite the Roman fixation on roomy female hips, underneath the tunic girls also wore a breast band, or strophium, whose purpose was to strap down their budding breasts in a bid to make them conform to the otherwise slender Roman ideal for women’s bodies.16

Caesars’ Wives Annelise Freisenbruch 2010

“strophium” or “girth” here referred to: “For high shoulders, small pads are suitable; and let the girth encircle the bosom that is too prominent.”

The Comedies of Terence Literally Translated into English Prose, with Notes Terence 1847

From Martial we learn that the “strophium” was made of leather.] [Footnote 50: _Training for a boxer_) -- Ver.

The Comedies of Terence Literally Translated into English Prose, with Notes Terence 1847