For thousands of years governments have tried to control spending by employing sumptuary laws. The first such law under the Roman Republic, the Lex Oppia, was enacted in 215 bce; it ruled that women could not wear more than half an ounce of gold upon their persons and that their tunics should not be in different colours. Most Roman sumptuary laws tried to control spending on funerals, banquets, and festivals; there were no further laws on dress until the emperor Tiberius ruled that no silken clothing should disgrace men. Such a soft fabric as silk was considered fit only for ...(100 of 25363 words)