125 1 Consular diptych of Flavius Constantius, the later Western Roman Emperor Constantius III, 414 or 417 CE, Cathedral Treasury and Cathedral of St Stephen and St Sixtus in Halberstadt, Germany. Height 28 centimetres. Ivory folding tablets, which were coated with wax on the inside and could be inscribed, were used as gifts for high-ranking members of society to celebrate and announce the assumption of a new office. The central panel shows the new consul (left) standing between two smaller figures and making a speech gesture. On the right we see him about to drop a folded cloth (the so-called mappa circensis) to mark the opening of circus games. The sumptuous clothing of the figures, which is shown in great detail, is very notable. In the Middle Ages, the ivory panels were reused as covers of a liturgical manuscript. 2 Linen tunic with decorative panels worked in purple wool, Egypt, 5th–6th centuries CE, Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, Germany, inv. T 207. In the hot, dry climate of Egypt fabrics were preserved exceptionally well. Most finds are from graves, where people were buried in their everyday clothing.
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